Peter:”Everyone assumes that the status quo is better for children than if government neither provided, nor hindered the provision of care and protection for children in need of it. Why?”

I guess because of the extreme cases we see in the media. The children who have suffered extreme abuses or death that convince us the service is needed without looking any further into it. Not that anyone is allowed access to it.

Peter:”They are paid by government to provide services stipulated by government to standards…”

That is what I am worried about, government may stipulate the services but they are not in daily control over them. A child bought into care under the Care and Protection Act is then shipped out to private companies to be raised under their policies, company culture etc.

Where NSW Community Services pay one amount to foster parents and the child has however many visits arranged with parents the NGO’s can change that as soon as the child comes into the care of their recruited foster parents. Foster parent allowance changes instantly and the child is restricted to 6 visits a year usually in my area.

Complaints about individual foster parents, from what I have experienced, are returned by CS’s to be handled internally by the NGO concerned. I along with other foster parents have found the Govt staff has been denied access to children and foster parents who are with NGO’s.

The lack of transparency in this industry is bad enough but to then discover NGO’s can make dominant decisions over CS’s is a whole other ball game when you start wondering what the motivation could be.

I agree Anti, they have become monsters although history tells us that these charities, churches and not-for-profits have always done monstrous things while receiving government funding. I understand they lobby government better than the children can.

I have been out of the system for many years, so what I say I hope is wrong. In my day the NGO foster carers selected who they would look after. They would not take the difficult or badly damaged child. If pressed to do so, the cost they presented made it impossible for the department to accept. The difficult, hard to care for child was left with the department and did not receive the resources or care they needed. When the NGO accept rssponsibility for these childrem at a reasonable cost, I will be glad to see the department hand over total care of all the children to them. Father Chris Riley is the only NGO that accepted all.

Hi Flo, from what I have seen the NGO’s take all and every child they can and want many more. Recent changes to the law in NSW began pushing more children their way and their numbers are expanding.

Simply put a 4 year old with me (I foster through DoCS NSW now called Community Services) brings in an allowance of 400.00 a fortnight. Additional health costs or counseling requirements are met by the department.

The next day the child can be in the care of an NGO foster parent down the road from me who receives 800.00 a fortnight for the same child. Double if the local GP hands out a Ritalin prescription. Visits to parents dry up.

Page 45 talks about costs of care:
http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/bcg_report.pdf

But last report I read, which I promptly lost, I am sure said that govt foster child costs 24k a year while in NGO care they cost 35k a year.

Father Reily (if same one) can still be found at http://www.youthoffthestreets.com.au/ they appear to have also joined the CCC who are a group of 27 NGO’s in NSW. On their site they seem to be wanting to respond to the report from the Boston Consulting Group (the first link on page).

I’m worried about cost and very worried that it isn’t the children benefitting from the additional monies the NGO's recieve. In fact what I see happening is them financially benefitting from failing the children after first failing attempts at reunification and or early intervention programs.

CCC: http://www.timetocare.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=2

My wife worked for Dalmar Childrens services and has fostered in the family home many infant children with severe cases of sicknesses from neglect and withdrawal from drugged mothers. This meant visits to medical clinics and extra care at our expense. They got love and care from our children not given by Government Services employees.

But your wife would still do what she does with the same level of care if she fostered through government yes?

It isn't the individuals in foster care that worry me Philo, it is what this system is now becomming which I believe is very much Cash for Kids via NGO with nothing in place to monitor them.

I can see the NGO foster parents financially benefit more than their Govt recruited peers but not always, and in some states the foster parents have no choice but to go through an NGO because they no longer can do what they do through government.

This is from another site:"i do have a civil suit and a compensation claim but its only against docs because they were the lead agency nothing can be laid at the feet of the ngo."

Is it true that they are this untouchable?