WARNING: This story discusses incidents of self-harm. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readersare advised that this article contains the name of the person who has died.
The teenage boy who died while locked up in WA's youth detention centre last week would have still been alive if he was not removed from a care program, the organisation who ran it says.
Plan and Grow is one of the state's few private out-of-home care providers that focuses on children with complex needs in the juvenile justice system.
The organisation's CEO Anita Peiris said the 17-year-old boy that took his life at the Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre "thrived" while he was with the provider.
Ms Peiris says he re-offended and went back into detention last year, but the Department of Communities made the decision to place him elsewhere when he was released again.
"He required specialised care, he wasn't receiving it at that time," she said.
"And this is how we are here today."
The organisation's state government funding will run out at the end of this month, with Ms Peiris fearing it will leave the future of the 30 children in its care in limbo.
Government warned before tragedy
Last October 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd fatally self-harmed in another WA detention facility, Unit 18.
In the same month, the WA government announced "milestone" changes it was making to the system that looks after children in state care.
The reforms involved slashing the number of out-of-home care providers, including Plan and Grow, which was unsuccessful in getting a new tender.
The government said it aimed to provide greater stability for children entering care and the involvement of more Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
Ms Peiris feared removing a provider of specialised care for high and complex needs children would lead to another tragedy.
"We have strong connections and relationships built over the years with several children serving their time in Banksia Hill Detention Centre and Casuarina's Unit 18," she said in a letter to WA Child Protection Minister Sabine Winton last year.
"To inform them that Plan and Grow will no longer have a home for them on their release will be catastrophic.
"And you are likely to see suicide attempts as these children have reduced self-harming and destructive behaviours in detention knowing that Plan and Grow are their beacon on the outside."
Model caters for 'complex' needs
The Department of Communities, which is responsible for children in state care, has been implementing the recent out-of-home care system reforms.
In its most recent annual report, it said the reforms focused "on the best interests of the child by moving children out of individualised care arrangements".
The arrangement provides one-to-one or two-to-one care for young people.
Ms Peiris said it's the model of care her organisation provides and it's crucial for children with highly complex needs and challenging behaviours.
"Now, that model of care is expensive," she explains.
"Too expensive for the state to afford at this time, and so they are having to reduce the number of individual care arrangements.
"Hence, the children will need to move elsewhere, into group models, or whatever it is."
'We've lost a family member'
The ABC cannot legally identify the teenage boy who died by suicide in his cell as he had been in the care of the state.
But Ms Peiris says he was among the children in the juvenile justice system that required an individualised care arrangement.
A week before he decided to end his life, Ms Peiris received a phone call from the boy.
"He became very unwell, mentally, emotionally," she said.
"He called me because he wanted some help to set up his bank account. I told him that he had to call the department.
"He wanted to hear the voice of someone who truly cared for him … and we did … we feel like we've lost a family member."
Department backs reforms
The Department said the reforms also aimed to reduce the number of children in care.
But according to data obtained by the ABC, the number of children in state care increased from 5,174 in 2023 to 5,311 in July this year.
The Department did not answer the ABC's questions around how the reforms affected individualised care arrangements.
But in a statement, a spokesperson for the Department said it was confident the reforms would influence better outcomes for WA's most vulnerable children.
"Importantly, the new system will have increased capacity for emergency and temporary placements," the spokesperson said.
"The Department of Communities has now transitioned over 80 per cent of care arrangements for children in scope of the out-of-home care initiative to more flexible and better-quality care arrangements."
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