The opposition is blaming the NSW government's failure to call in outside help for the plight of a pregnant 12-year-old girl.

Community Services Minister Linda Burney has admitted major mistakes were made by the Department of Community Services (DoCS) in the case of the girl, whose mother allowed the baby's father, a 15-year-old boy, to share their home in Dubbo.

"It is true in my view that DoCS should have intervened more strenuously than what they did," Ms Burney said on Tuesday.

DoCS Deputy Director-General Annette Gallard confirmed her department did not have any direct contact with the family, despite serious concerns being raised by the girl's father.

"We did follow up on the concerns but we were unable to confirm the allegations," Ms Gallard said.

"We were doing all we could but unfortunately we were not able to make contact with the girl or her family."

Opposition community services spokeswoman Pru Goward said all DoCS had to do was call in outside help.

"That is all DoCS had to do. They just had to admit they couldn't cope and instead have rung a local community organisation and asked for support," Ms Goward told Fairfax Radio Network.

She said the case worker of the 12-year-old pregnant girl was undoubtedly overworked.

"I can be sure that the case worker that managed this was, like many other case workers that I have run into, supported by nobody and had nobody's judgment to go on but her own," she said.

"DoCS systematically fails children, they do not consult with families, they do not consult foster carers, they seem to have given up on teenage girls."

Ms Gallard admitted DoCS was currently overworked and that staff had given priority to other cases when they should have dealt with the girl's case.

She said self-harming cases and other children at risk had taken precedence.

"There were a range of other matters we were dealing with at the same time. In hindsight we should have done more."

Ms Gallard said DoCS dealt with 300,000 reports of children at risk every year.

Ms Goward vowed a coalition government led by Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell would allow community organisations to take the pressure off DoCS.

"Under an O'Farrell government you will see a lot more of this work given to local community organisations," she told Fairfax Radio Network.

Ms Goward said case workers in community organisations were paid less than DoCS case workers, but had a lower turnover rate.

"Their (community organisations') case workers are paid 20 per cent less than DoCS case workers and yet the turnover is a fraction of the DoCS turnover because they are properly mentored and supported and they take advice and consult each other," she said.

"It's the unions ... who are against the move towards community sector organisations playing a greater part because they want to keep the jobs in public service hands," she added.

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brilliant parenting by the mother of that girl there. docs really did drop the ball, but honestly what the fuck is the mother thinking? i feel bad for the father, he obviously has a freaking brain.

Ah wow I blame their parents I sure hope she puts it up for adoption

This sort of thing fucks me off. DoCS could have, should have, done more - but at the end of the day, when are parents going to take fucking responsibility? You can't blame DoCS for this! FFS, they didn't invite the 15 year old boy to stay in the home, the stupid slag of a mother did. And now look where that girl is. 12 years old and going to be a mother herself. It's fucking wrong. Not only should that child be put up for adoption, the 12 year old should be removed from her mothers care as well.

Agreed!

I agree with Genes, this has been a huge topic here all day - it's on ALL of the news sites and its a massive deal. So yeh, in regard to DoCS...see I understand when they say they had more important cases to deal with...because in all honesty - I can think of a few worse cases than this. My issue with DoCS is..that when a kid gets killed...or raped..or SOMETHING, they are always like "Yeh...we could have done something, we knew about the family, but we were busy dealing with this other case" What I want to know is - what the hell is DoCS doing? Why are they so freaking busy? They aren't taking care of the children getting raped. They aren't taking care of the children who land up murdered. They aren't taking care of the children who land up getting pregnant at 12 years old. WHAT ARE THEY SO BUSY DOING?

I honestly think the child should taken away from that family as soon as it's born. I mean - it's cruel, but it may give that child the life is deserves. It's unfortunate because - i mean...the family probably isn't...that well off. There is probably an alcohol or drug problem there, there are probably ALOT of issues there and allowing for that baby to be raised by them will just create more problems. That baby will be raised the same, will probably land up pregnant at 15 and history will just repeat itself.

By all means - I hope they prove me wrong.

DoCS... ahhh... you know what they are doing? They are chasing up ever STUPID LITTLE COMPLAINT. Seriously, until I started working for the Police I thought DoCS was a crock of shit... I then realised just how much gets reported to them and how, unfortunately, they have to review all of it. This even extends to things as petty as "I heard my neighbour yell at her kid to shut the fuck up". Or, a kid falls off their toy bike and gets a concussion, goes to the ER. The ER actually has to report this, as it might have been child abuse, and they don't know for sure... everything gets reported. THIS is why kids who REALLY NEED THE HELP go under the radar and get failed by the system.

Why does this happen? Because these days you can't so much as look at your kid sideways without a complaint being put in about you being a bad parent.

Yeh blank comments go far...whoops my bad...sorry people!

You're right. They probably do get a hell of a lot of complaints..they probably do have it really tough. I just wonder whether they have their priorities in order. Because it's really sad that too many kids are getting...pretty much ignored...and thats when they get into serious trouble.

I think the problem isn't so much with DoCS...it's with...the particular culture. I mean...where I was in Perth - I saw alot of it. There's this..culture of people who..live on government payouts, spend their money on drugs and alcohol, and getting pregnant and very young ages. I'm just speculating that this girl is from that culture...but you can't deny that most DoCS cases - are from that environment. It's the same culture who just refuse to...educate themselves. They are the families who are quite comfortable to live on payments for their whole lives, breeding babies who will in turn have babies - kids having kids.

That part about kids and not being allowed to "look" at them a certain way...other wise you get in trouble. I'm sick of all this cottonwooling children. Some children have a serious lack of discipline. While I DO NO think they should be belted across the head every day of the week - I think parents are having ALOT of their rights and responsibilities....reduced....in fear they will be reported.

I'm thinking I need sleep.
I just read " a kid falls off their toy bike and gets a concussion" as a fat kid falls of their toy bike and gets a concussion.

:|

WHAT THE HELL?!
Someone seriously needs to glue that little girl's legs together and give that boy a nice smack upside the head or something.

Jesus =/

This is sad and obviously should not have happened, especially at the girl's young age. Should she be properly counseled and told of all the pros and cons of what will come with the birth of her baby? Yes. Should she automatically give up her baby for adoption? Logically, yes...but, in the end, it is HER decision. A decision that should be properly counselled, as I previously mentioned. This whole situation and everyone involved is in my prayers.

I wonder if it really IS her decision, based on her age. I'm not really sure how it all works, but legally she isn't allowed to leave the care of a guardian, so they would probably have some say.

I think the age for a choice like that is 13 or something, isn't it?
I would assume its the same age as you'd need to be to choose which parent you want to live with if they get divorced, and if I remember right that was 13.

I'm not entirely sure on that, I don't think it works that way in Australia either. So not sure!!! Sorry!

Oh, hehe ;D
I just vaguely remember something like that when my parents separated--my dad talked with me about it.
Grr, I wish I knew what it was called ;D

I hate how laws are so different wherever you go D:

I agree...thus the "counsel" part. I know what you are saying.

can i ask what 12 year old wants to have sex? when i was 12, 15 year old boys were practically in their 30's to me, and the idea of just pecking a guy on the lips made me blush!

THIS.

Freaking honestly.
Dating was effing watching TV together.

I agree! At 12, sex NEVER EVER crossed my mind. All I did/wanted to do at that age was hold hands with a boy..

It's sad. That girl's life is screwed now.

I had my first kiss at 12, and I thought it was the most god aweful disgusting thing in the world! Fuck no was he coming near me with his dick! HAHAH!

at 12 my first crush/family friend's son wanted to kiss me and he practically attacked me! i was like: "omg no!" and ran away haha.

Agreed. Definitely. This story is deeply disturbing.