Oppn 'horrified' at Indigenous foster care breakdown
A report reveals Aboriginal children in state care are being shunted between guardians. (ABC TV)
New figures have revealed nearly one third of Aboriginal children under six years old in Western Australia state care have been shunted between guardians.
The figures, which were revealed in the Upper House of State Parliament last night, show about 150 children have had four different guardians or more.
In one case, a one-year-old child has had 16 different homes, while in another, a four-year-old has been moved 17 times.
The Opposition's spokeswoman for child protection, Robyn McSweeney, says the Department of Child Protection is being negligent in not providing stable environments for the children.
"There are no words to describe how angry and horrified I am at the figures that I am looking at," she said.
"I thought that things were different and they're not."
The Minister for Child Protection, Sue Ellery, says she will investigate why stable homes are not being found for the children.
"Placements breakdown for various reasons. It might be that the families that the child is placed with has too many other things happening in their lives," she said.
"The Department is undertaking a review of those circumstances to determine what it is that precisely lead to those placements breaking down and what we need to do to improve practice."