A Melbourne childcare worker has been caring for a baby removed from her mother by court order for over six months, after being asked to take her 'just for the weekend'. The case highlights the desperate shortage of foster and kinship carers in Victoria's child protection system.
Sofie, an early childhood educator at a Melbourne childcare centre, received a call from a child protection worker on a Friday afternoon. The worker asked if someone from the centre could look after baby Lily for the weekend, as the court had just ordered her removal and no other carer was available. Sofie initially refused, but after learning the baby had nowhere to go, she agreed with the support of the centre's owner, Nina.
The arrangement was meant to be temporary, but has now lasted more than six months. Sofie is classified as a 'kinship carer' by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, despite having only a peripheral relationship with Lily before taking her in. Kinship care is typically reserved for relatives or close family friends.
Anne McLeish, director of Kinship Carers Victoria, said placing such a young child in a family home was critical. 'If they couldn't find family members and a foster carer, that child was going to go into an institution,' she said. 'The department will do anything to place a child with a family rather than have that happen.'
The department declined to comment on the specific case. Sofie and Nina say they were told the care would be for a weekend, then a week, then a month, and now they do not know how much longer Lily will stay.
