Further enquiries contact:
Andrew Yule on 0448 380 455 or 9412 6137 or Andrew.yule@anglicarevic.org.au
Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
16 November 2009
Apology to forgotten Australians welcome but
children still at risk
Anglicare Victoria welcomed the Federal Government’s apology to the forgotten
Australians today as another step in the healing of children placed in the care but
warned that without increased funding and greater community concern for family
welfare, children will continue to enter State care and may suffer as a consequence.
“It is time for Governments and the community to invest in children and families at a
level which prevents children from needing to be placed in care at all,” said
Anglicare Victoria CEO Dr Ray Cleary.
“And, where child removal is necessary, we must ensure services are well resourced,
monitored and accountable and the hard lessons of the past not forgotten.”
Dr Cleary said that taking a child away from their family was tragic at any time and
lessons from the past must not be repeated.
“The apology acknowledges the many shortcomings in the system and duty of care
failures which occurred in the past.
“But words by themselves cannot be the end and today’s child protection and care
programs must not repeat the mistakes of the past.
“We must put current systems under the microscope and, for the sake of those who
suffered in the past, ask ‘Are we confident those same mistakes will never happen
again?’
“State intervention still occurs and we as a community must share the responsibility for
protecting our children and in supporting families.”
Anglicare Victoria is the State’s largest provider of foster care coordinating about
2,000 placements every year.
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NEWS 
