Tasmanian youth in state care given tent by support worker last winter, minister confirms

Updated

A child protection worker gave a ward of the state a tent to sleep in during the middle of winter, a decision Tasmania's Human Services Minister has described as "unacceptable".

The 17-year-old boy was advised to camp in the tent with his young girlfriend in May after he refused other accommodation.

A volunteer caretaker at the showgrounds moved the pair into a cattle shed and later a converted office for about four months.

Labor's human services spokeswoman Rebecca White said child protection had provided only the tent with a hole in it and a blanket.

"There is no excuse for failing a young person to this extreme degree," she said.

"We know this person is now unfortunately in the youth justice system and the question has to be asked: if this person was better cared for would they have ended up in the youth justice system?"

Human Services Minister Jacquie Petrusma said providing a tent to the youth was not an acceptable level of care.

"This was made clear to the case worker in question," she said.

"As noted, the youth did not, in the event, stay in the tent but resided from around May to September in a converted office with utilities provided.

"This was a very longstanding, complicated and challenging case over many years in which the youth involved had been evicted from his previous accommodation due to violent behaviour.

"He had also refused alternative offers of accommodation.

"The youth is now in the youth justice system.

"Unfortunately, this case is an example and a symptom of a very broken child protection system, which this Government is committed to fixing."

Topics: welfare, state-parliament, youth, homelessness, hobart-7000

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