Child case worker alarm

MORE than 160 vulnerable children were waiting to be allocated a case worker from the state’s Child Safety Service this month, with Labor saying the situation was emblematic of an under-resourced system “at breaking point”.

According to figures released following a budget estimates hearing this month, 56 children were in “active transition” as at June 15, meaning they were reported as being potentially at risk but were yet to be assigned a case worker.

One child has been left languishing in active transition for more than 220 days, while 105 children are subject to care and protection orders and are also without an allocated case worker. It comes as the commission of inquiry into the sexual abuse of children in Tasmania’s public institutions continues to hear harrowing stories from victim-survivors, including those in out-of-home care.

Opposition child safety spokeswoman Sarah Lovell said too many children were being left in potentially harmful living situations in a child protection system “unacceptably under-resourced”.

“With our child safety services under-resourced and at breaking point and so many children being left without care after being reported at risk, it is vital that more resources are allocated to the frontline and appropriate decisions are being made now,” she said.

Community and Public Sector Union secretary Thirza White said the recently released figures should be “of concern to the whole community”. “This data shows, yet again, that Child Safety is under-resourced,” she said.

“We don’t have the required number of workers to ensure that vulnerable kids are assigned a case worker with the time needed to investigate and ensure their safety.”

A Communities Tasmania spokeswoman said the Child Safety Service saw a “constant flow of cases”, which could “fluctuate day-to-day depending on demand”.

“In all cases, if a child is assessed to be at immediate risk, they are allocated and seen within 24 hours,” she said.

“Less urgent cases also receive a response while awaiting direct allocation.”

She said the number of children in active transition had halved since October 2021.