NSW: $1 billion plan to solve DOCS crisis
By Tracey Ferrier
SYDNEY, Dec 18 AAP - NSW's embattled Department of Community Services (DOCS) will getan extra $1 billion over five years as the government attempts to solve the mountain ofproblems plaguing its child protection services.
Community Services Minister Carmel Tebbutt today announced a five-year strategic plan,a week after an upper house committee report found the child protection agency was inadequate.
In October, the annual report of the NSW Child Death Review Team revealed that 16 ofthe 21 children who died from abuse or neglect last year were known to DOCS.
And NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour handed down a damning report which found overworkedDOCS staff had been unable to properly deal with child abuse reports while basic paperworkwas non-existent or inadequate.
The new money will provide for an extra 875 additional frontline caseworkers, on topof the 1,100 caseworkers already in the department.
It also includes $400 million to oversee children in out-of-home care, $150 millionfor early intervention services and $20 million in additional support for front-line workers.
An extra $1 billion will be pumped into the department over five years, and in additionDOCS' annual recurrent budget will climb from $641 million this year to just over $1 billionin 2007/08.
But the department will only get an extra $40 million this financial year and $81 millionin 2003/04, with most of the money to be delivered from 2005/06 onwards.
The first 150 of the extra 875 caseworkers will be provided in 2003/04 and are in additionto the 130 provided for under the current state budget.
Today Ms Tebbutt admitted DOCS was struggling to cope with a massive increase in thenumber of reports of suspected child abuse, which had spiralled from 33,000 in 1994/95to 160,000 this year.
"(The money) addresses the increasing number of reports of concern about children byincreasing the number of frontline caseworkers," she told reporters today.
"But importantly it also invests significant resources into early intervention servicesso that small problems don't become big problems."
She said the plan responded comprehensively to the Ombudsman's findings and to theupper house committee report, which pushed for more resources.
Further changes could flow from the Kibble report, due early next year.
But Opposition community services spokesman Brad Hazzard slammed the plan as too little,too late.
"In the time that Bob Carr has been premier 650 children have died in NSW," he said.
"It's taken him eight years to agree that some additional resources should go into DOCS."
Mr Hazzard reiterated calls for a Royal Commission into DOCS to ensure any new fundingwas spent wisely.
Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA) chief executive Nigel Spence latersaid he was happy with the plan although it was overdue.
"This crisis has been building for some time," said Mr Spence, whose organisation workstowards improving the quality of services to children and young people.
"We're very pleased that this is not just putting money into more child protectionofficers, but also major resources are going into out-of-home care and community-basedfamily support services."
Long-time DOCS critic Public Service Association of NSW secretary Maurie O'Sullivanalso welcomed the plan, saying many had suffered before something was done.
"It's happened and I'm delighted," Mr O'Sullivan said.
AAP tnf/nf/drp/de
KEYWORD: DOCS NIGHTLEAD
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