Residential care in Victoria. (Services & welfare).

Audit of Children and Young People in Residential Care, a report commissioned by the Victorian community services minister, notes that among the abused children and adolescents now living in this type of care, 56 had at some time attempted suicide and 141 had threatened to kill themselves. Other findings in the report included:

* 145 of the young people had been diagnosed with a mental illness but only 27 were being treated;

* many were drug abusers, including 63 whose substance-abuse problems were described as severe, but only 13 were receiving specific help;

* of the 62 known sex offenders living in the homes, only eight were receiving treatment for their behaviour.

The residential units are designed for adolescents, yet one-third of the children living in them were aged under 12. Twenty-nine were aged seven or under (Age, 20/10/01, p.4).