'Moved like a dog from cage to cage': children in foster care speak out

The Advocate for Children and Young People report released on Thursday, May 2, contains first-hand experiences from youth in emergency accommodation after being removed from their families.

The findings were scoped through 19 private hearings across the state in areas including the Central Coast, Northern Rivers, Bathurst, Dubbo, Forbes, Wollongong, Western Sydney and the Inner West.

One young person described their experience in the system as "a dog being moved from cage to cage".

"It was just me on my own around ... full-grown adults on drugs, homeless people, people with mental illnesses... it was disgusting," they said.

Another said that before the age of 13 they were moved through motels, caravan parks, $99 per night rooms or "whatever they [providers] could find".

At any one time, between 400 and 500 children are in emergency accommodation. Each arrangement costs taxpayers more than $38,000 a week.

The advocate's report exposes how the children live far from a life of luxury.

The Advocate for Children and Young People, Zoe Robinson, said children and young people who shared their stories wanted stability and care.

"The evidence received to date highlights that high-cost arrangements and alternative care arrangements are clearly falling well short of that," she said.

Labor, which railed against high-cost emergency arrangements while in opposition, says a team has been dedicated to moving children in such care to more suitable arrangements.

Some 427 children were in the emergency system at the end of March - 16 per cent lower than in November.

Families and Communities Minister Kate Washington is launching an urgent review of the foster care system.

"This report is heartbreaking - these kids' stories are harrowing," she said.

The review will examine the over-reliance on emergency accommodation and investigate how taxpayer money is being spent by non-government providers.

Ms Washington said she was horrified to hear children in the system felt like animals "moved from cage to cage".

"Our urgent review will uncover ways we can give vulnerable kids the future they deserve, starting with a stable, loving home instead of hotels and motels with rotating shift workers," she said.