Gov’t allocates $1.5 billion to children’s homes
Published:Monday | February 17, 2025 | 10:16 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter
A little more than $1.5 billion has been allocated in the 2025-26 Estimates of Expenditure for children’s homes that receive youngsters placed by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA).
Privately operated children’s homes currently accommodate approximately 1,950 children. These institutions are also licensed and monitored by the CPFSA and have been given monthly subventions based on the number of wards in residence.
More than $55.7 million has been set aside to carry out major repairs and refurbishing works to a number of child-care facilities supervised by the CPFSA.
The child care facilities to be repaired are the St Augustine Place of Safety, which was allocated $10 million; Summerfield Home, $15 million; and Muirton Boys Home, $25 million. Another $15.7 million will be spent to repair security posts at five residential child-care facilities.
The details are contained in the 2025-26 Estimates of Expenditure, which was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The State directly manages four children’s homes, which receive children who have been made wards of the state by an order of the court. These facilities currently accommodate approximately 140 children.
At the same time, about $942 million has been earmarked to support the operations of six functional government-operated child places of safety and seven transitional living facilities.
The facilities receive children who are in need of care and protection, but whose cases are yet to be decided by the courts, as well as wards who are “transitioning” out of state care.
Government places of safety and transitional living homes currently house approximately 315 children.
Grants totalling $78 million have also been allocated to five privately operated places of safety. These facilities currently accommodate approximately 150 children. These institutions are also licensed and monitored by the CPFSA and are given monthly subventions based on the population in residence.