Cleared and on hunt for carers

THE foster care organisation cleared by a government investigation into its practices says it is desperately in need of more carers for abused and neglected children.

The Department of Health and Human Services investigated Key Assets earlier this year in response to allegations aired by Labor.

Labor said foster carers had raised cases including children being crowded into inappropriate housing, sleeping in a garage, and carers of a boy with disabilities who said they received only a tiny amount of the funding given to Key Assets for the boy’s needs.

Key Assets and the State Government strongly denied the allegations.

Human Services Minister Jacquie Petrusma told a Budget Estimates hearing last month a Health Department review had found Key Assets had “provided care and support in a manner consistent with expectations under its funding agreement”.

However Ms Petrusma refused to release the report, saying it contained detailed information on specific children’s needs.

Labor child safety spokesman Josh Willie rejected Ms Petrusma’s justification for withholding the report.

“No one wants details about individual cases or children, but the public has the right to see a redacted report,” he said.

Key Assets Tasmania director Caroline Brown said she was pleased the investigation had cleared the organisation.

“Although the level of scrutiny impacted the whole Key Assets community ... being under review is a learning process and it has informed our continuous quality improvement activities,” she said.

Ms Brown said there were 1200 children in Tasmania who are living away from their parents due to abuse and neglect and Key Assets was on the hunt for more carers.