Latest news with #Camm
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
'Unacceptable': Queensland government launches emergency audit to find hundreds of children missing from state care
The Queensland government has launched an emergency audit to find hundreds of children missing from the state-sanctioned residential care system. More than 12,000 children are currently in Queensland's residential care system through foster, residential and kinship care programs, but out of this figure 780 children have made the decision to leave state-care and "self-place" in a location unknown to the government. The Crisafulli Liberal National Party government is now working to gather the displaced children's names, ages and locations as fears grow they may be homeless or living in dangerous situations. It is understood when children choose to self-place, they lose access to government-backed support services and case management, making it hard to track their location. Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm said the self-placement of children was "unacceptable", adding it is essential for those missing from the system to be identified. 'Allowing one vulnerable child to self-place in Queensland is unacceptable to me, let alone 780 young people. That's why I have ordered a full audit of the kids in care who are self-placing, what support they are receiving and where they are,' she said. 'It is vital we have an understanding of how we can better support these vulnerable children to get their lives back on track and if they have a youth justice crossover.' Ms Camm said a "clear system failure" was behind the state's growing number of unlicensed operators in residential care who are not bound by strict child protection laws, nor monitored or audited by state authorities. Only 36 of the state's 146 residential care providers are licensed, with 110 unlicensed providers largely operating in the for-profit sector and receiving $474.3 million in state government funding. 'The fact the government had nearly no oversight of unlicensed providers, or recourse to ensure they are delivering positive outcomes for vulnerable children is a clear system failure,' Ms Camm said. 'The residential care sector is a billion-dollar industry built on the back of vulnerable children with taxpayers' money. 'It is critical there is oversight and these organisations know that if they do not perform, the government will act. 'It is critical we take the necessary steps to fix issues when they are uncovered to ensure children are being adequately taken care of. 'This Commission of Inquiry is about accountability, both ministerial and departmental. We need to understand how these system failures happened, so we can ensure they do not happen again.' The figures come as Queensland's 17-month Commission of Inquiry led by former Federal Court judge Paul Anastassiou KC into the state's "broken" Child Safety System holds its first public hearing on Wednesday. The government previously claimed the residential care system is failing children at a cost of $1.2 billion. "There is no coincidence that we have a broken child safety system and a youth crime crisis in this state, and we are determined to take action on both," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli previously said. A separate inquiry is also examining the rules governing unlicensed providers to care for vulnerable children.
Hamilton Spectator
19-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Greenfield or adaptive reuse site for new Brant hospital? ‘All options open,' says CEO
'It's an important day here for the board and the future of our hospital system, ' said Paul Emerson, chair of Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) redevelopment committee, from the cafeteria of the Brantford General Hospital. Deputy premier Sylvia Jones was there on Thursday to formally affirm provincial support for the next phase of a new hospital. The $12.5-million grant will help BCHS — which oversees the hospital and Willett Urgent Care Centre in Paris — plan for a new, state-of-the-art hospital. Until now, they have been planning 'off of a shoestring' budget, but the funding means the organization can hire a vice-president of redevelopment, Bonnie Camm, president and CEO of BCHS told The Spectator earlier in the week. The functional planning phase will involve determining the size, location, full scope of services, and local share planning, Camm said. 'It allows us to look into the future, not just for the next few years, but for the next several decades,' she told hospital staff, reporters, and local dignitaries on Thursday. It's a key milestone, as competition to get provincial approval and funding for a new hospital is 'intense,' Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis previously told councillors . Sections of the current building are nearing 100 years old and the community has been pushing for a hospital for 15 years. It has never moved beyond the planning stage. 'Essentially, we're in the books now — we're on the chart of getting this done at some point in time,' Camm told The Spectator. While the health-care system was initially directed to look at an infill site, the province put a greenfield — undeveloped land — on the table when announcing its budget in May. 'We are keeping all options open. This next phase is an opportunity to cast the net wide on potential locations before we start the path of detailed design of a greenfield or adaptive reuse site,' Camm said at the announcement. As for the shift, Jones told reporters the province 'didn't want to take away a pathway,' if a greenfield is 'what the community and the hospital leadership felt they needed for this new facility.' Choosing a new site will be an 'open, collaborative and transparent' process. 'Our new hospital can only be successful if it is reflective of those whom it serves,' Camm said. 'We will work with the ministry, our board foundation, our Indigenous electorate councils and municipal councils and our community to arrive at a solution that is the best for exemplary patient care now and well into the future.' Camm told The Spectator they hope to have this phase of planning done by June of 2026, for submission into the next ministry cycle. But as for how soon the doors might open, Jones said she doesn't want to 'presuppose.' 'There are multiple stages that happen in terms of request for proposals, the bidding process, and ultimately the design and the building stage. So I think it's frankly a little early to start pegging years,' she said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Sydney Morning Herald
02-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Fears of defamation, reputational harm muffle childcare abuse concerns
Risk to reputation, defamation fears, and a 'complex and crowded' regulatory landscape have stifled early childcare services' concerns about potential sexual abuse by staff, a government-commissioned review has found. Commissioned in December last year, the review into Queensland's response to child sexual abuse found some staff members weren't correctly trained to identify suspicious behaviour, and privacy concerns 'minimised' early warning signs. Queensland Minister for Child Safety Amanda Camm said any recommendations delivered by the review would be prioritised, but she would move to patch holes in the system immediately. 'When you're entrusting your child to be educated, they are little, they are vulnerable, [and] we expect they are getting the highest standard in care and education, and we as a government are committed to that,' she said. 'Queensland parents deserve the right for their children to go to childcare and be safe.' Loading The review also covered the Blue Card system, which it found did not screen for concerning behaviour that did not lead to a conviction. It also found about 20 per cent of Queenslanders hold a Blue Card, enabling them to work with children. 'The attorney-general is working with other state attorneys to make sure … we have the checks and balances and the legislative frameworks to be able to hold those people to account if they have perpetrated [against a child],' Camm said.
The Age
02-07-2025
- The Age
Fears of defamation, reputational harm muffle childcare abuse concerns
Risk to reputation, defamation fears, and a 'complex and crowded' regulatory landscape have stifled early childcare services' concerns about potential sexual abuse by staff, a government-commissioned review has found. Commissioned in December last year, the review into Queensland's response to child sexual abuse found some staff members weren't correctly trained to identify suspicious behaviour, and privacy concerns 'minimised' early warning signs. Queensland Minister for Child Safety Amanda Camm said any recommendations delivered by the review would be prioritised, but she would move to patch holes in the system immediately. 'When you're entrusting your child to be educated, they are little, they are vulnerable, [and] we expect they are getting the highest standard in care and education, and we as a government are committed to that,' she said. 'Queensland parents deserve the right for their children to go to childcare and be safe.' Loading The review also covered the Blue Card system, which it found did not screen for concerning behaviour that did not lead to a conviction. It also found about 20 per cent of Queenslanders hold a Blue Card, enabling them to work with children. 'The attorney-general is working with other state attorneys to make sure … we have the checks and balances and the legislative frameworks to be able to hold those people to account if they have perpetrated [against a child],' Camm said.
Khaleej Times
08-04-2025
- Khaleej Times
Indian police arrest 'fake doctor' linked to seven deaths
Indian police arrested a man on Tuesday accused of impersonating a respected London-based cardiologist, days after a probe into the deaths of seven patients. The alleged scammer, who practised at the private Mission Hospital in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, has been charged with cheating and forgery, police superintendent Shrutkirti Somvanshi told reporters. "His documents have been found to be fake... The accused doctor has been arrested by our team," Somvanshi said. The detained man gave his name as "Narendra John Camm", the same as listed on the hospital's website, written in Hindi. A mugshot published in local media showed him with bleached yellow hair. The arrest came days after the National Human Rights Commission launched a probe into the deaths of seven patients at Mission Hospital this year. All seven people had undergone angioplasty surgeries by the arrested man. 'Very disconcerting' Local media said he had impersonated a real cardiologist in Britain called John Camm, an emeritus professor of clinical cardiology at St George's University of London. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the British-based Camm, who told AFP that the case had been "very disconcerting". Camm, said that the man had "claimed at various times to both be me, and to have been trained by me at St George's Hospital in London". Camm said he and colleagues had made repeated efforts to stop the fraudster over the past five years. "I discovered that there was little that I could do about it, but younger colleagues, who were active on social media on the internet did their best," Camm wrote from London. "Indian physicians and cardiologists quickly rumbled that this man has nothing to do with me and attempted to 'shut him down'." Camm said that reports of the fraudster had recently been "relatively quiet, and I thought that they had been successful". He said news of the arrest was "upsetting to me and probably much more so to the relatives of patients" who may have suffered. Rajendra Shukla, Madhya Pradesh deputy chief minister, said harsh action would be taken against the detainee if found guilty. The scandal emerged after the family of one of the patients who died came forward to complain. "As soon as my mother died, the doctor vanished," her son Nabi Qureshi was quoted as saying by broadcaster NDTV. Reports of individuals posing as doctors are rife in India, especially in rural areas where a large population is illiterate. Authorities have cracked down on fake doctors in recent years, raiding clinics and making arrests.
