CAFWAA

Australia’s most vulnerable and emotionally scarred children are being further disadvantaged by the school system.

“These children are already amongst our most vulnerable citizens, and we can not afford to let them be damaged any further,” the Chairperson of the Child and Family Welfare Association of Australia, Mr Simon Schrapel, said today. “We look to schools to help build and support these children, and schools themselves deserve all the help they can get from governments to do this vital job,” he added.

Mr Schrapel was commenting on the annual Report Card on Education for Australian Children and Young People in Care, which was released today by the CREATE Foundation, the organisation that represents children in out-of-home care across Australia.

The report shows that children and young people in out of home care were found to be severely disadvantaged when it comes to their schooling.

&Mac183; 43% of those surveyed indicated that they had been suspended or expelled from either primary or secondary school.

&Mac183; Only 25% stated that they had an individual education plan, despite the value of such plans where children have experienced significant displacement and change.

&Mac183; Half of the surveyed group of children and young people indicated bullying as a major problem, compounding problems resulting from previous experiences of abuse or neglect in the home.

“Such findings are damning and point to an inability of our child welfare and education authorities across Australia to prioritise the needs of our more than 18,000 children and young people in out of home care”, Mr Schrapel said.

“Despite efforts in some States to establish partnership agreements between welfare and education departments or undertake inquiries into the issue, changes on the ground remain limited”.

“The high rates of absenteeism and exclusion from school remain as major problems. Given the multiple disadvantages experienced by children and young people in care, governments across Australia may need to consider a more radical approach to education provision.

“Every child in out of home care should have an individual eduction plan and that no child in care is prevented from participating in education,” Mr Schrapel added.

The CREATE Report Card, which includes the views of 278 children and young people in care is available on the CREATE website at www.create.org.au from Wednesday 24 September 2003.

Contact: Mr Simon Schrapel (08) 8305 9210 or 0411 643 132