A history of systemic failure that left at-risk children without the support and care they needed has prompted calls to create a new independent watchdog for the NSW child protection system.
Multiple reviews over several years have detailed how the state's protection of vulnerable children was inefficient, ineffective, lacked transparency, and operated on a crisis-driven model that failed to keep track of the children in its care.
Caseworkers have been swamped by thousands of concern reports, most of which did not receive a face-to-face response, while the NSW Ombudsman found in 2024 the department could not show what support many children received or whether they were safe.
On Thursday, May 28, a coalition of service providers and bodies urged the government to establish an independent commission to avoid it holding both the power and the oversight over the children and families it interacts with.
"Government intervention in the lives of children and families can be traumatic and deeply harmful," Justice and Equity Centre chief executive Jonathan Hunyor said.
"When government holds both the power in the system and oversight of the system, child safety and family rights are at risk. That's why comprehensive, independent oversight is so crucial."
The number of children at risk of serious harm in the Hunter and Central Coast was more than 19,000 in 2025, according to Department of Communities and Justice data.
The department reported more than 109,000 concern reports in total, across NSW, in the same quarter, with 64,506 meeting the threshold for risk of significant harm, a 9.2 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Imogen Edeson, who leads the Create Foundation - the national peak body representing children in out-of-home care - said the state's system was opaque with little clear guidance over the results of its decisions.
"There is limited transparency around how and why decisions are made and whether the system harms or helps," Ms Edeson said.
"A commission will keep the focus on pushing every part of the child protection system to act in the best interests of the children whose lives it shapes."
The group said existing accountability structures were "inadequate, uncoordinated and beset by gaps".
Its vision was for an independent commission to monitor performance, set and enforce standards, handle complaints, review care orders, investigate systemic issues and recommend policy improvements.
John Leha, chief executive of First Nations child protection organisation AbSec, said NSW recorded among the country's worst outcomes for Indigenous children, including persistent overrepresentation in the system and lower rates of reunification.
"A commission can help keep First Nations children with their families and communities. It can be a trusted place to raise concerns, independent of the government agencies that have the power to remove children," he said.
The state's out-of-home care strategy said initial reforms to improve the system had already resulted in a 35 per cent reduction in use of high-cost emergency care arrangements, increased recruitment of foster carers and was bringing an end to unaccredited alternative care arrangements.
The Association of Children's Welfare Agencies chief executive Simon Czech joined the calls for an independent commission, but said its success would be predicated on clear roles and adequate funding.
"We support the intent to strengthen independent oversight and see a commission as a constructive step," she said.
"Its effectiveness will be shaped by how it is designed in practice, including clear roles and responsibilities across the system, strong alignment with existing oversight bodies, and the right powers to monitor performance, respond to complaints and drive improvement."
"It will also be important that any new model is backed by sustainable funding and a continued focus on improved outcomes for children and families."
