Published Monday, 19 February, 2007 at 09:13 AM
Minister for Child Safety
The Honourable Desley Boyle
More students to learn about child protection in 2007
Child protection training will enter a new era in 2007, when university students throughout the state begin studying Queensland’s new, specialised child protection courses.
Revised or new courses will be offered this year in Townsville, Rockhampton, St Lucia, Logan and Brisbane and from next year at Maroochydore and Hervey Bay.
Child Safety Minister Desley Boyle said the Department of Child Safety had worked with Queensland universities to revamp human services courses to give students specific skills in child protection.
“It takes a special person to work in child protection – seeing firsthand the effects of child abuse and neglect and helping children get through it,” Ms Boyle said.
“We need more Child Safety Officers right across Queensland and we need to make sure they get the right training and skills to do the job.”
Seven Queensland universities were given $50,000 each by the Department of Child Safety to review and revamp their courses.
“Some universities have introduced new majors so students can specialise in child protection, while others have developed new subjects and updated old ones.
“These improvements include teaching students about:
- child development and parenting;
- how to assess a child’s safety;
- extra factors to consider in rural and remote areas;
- working with children, parents and caregivers and;
- building resilience for the potentially confronting work.
“Each university will also be including compulsory studies on working with Indigenous children, families and communities.
“At Griffith University, all human services students will study a new course taught by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
Ms Boyle said the redesign of courses would ensure students received some insight into child safety early in their studies so they could consider it as a career.
“These new courses will increase the pool of graduates with child protection knowledge,” she said.
Ms Boyle said the new 2007 curriculum drew on child protection experts and key publications such as the department’s Child Safety Practice Manual to include the latest practices.
This year, the updated courses will be taught at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus, James Cook University’s Townsville campus, Queensland University of Technology’s Gardens Point campus, Griffith University’s Logan campus and Central Queensland University’s Rockhampton campus.
The University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Southern Queensland received funding last year to update their courses and are expected to teach the revised curriculum in 2008 at Maroochydore and Hervey Bay respectively.
Students undertaking the new child protection courses will be given priority for field placements with the Department of Child Safety.
The revamp of courses addresses concerns raised by the Crime and Misconduct Commission in its January 2004 report about a gap in child protection courses in Queensland.
Ends
Media contact: 3224 7477
19 February 2007
Revised or new courses will be offered this year in Townsville, Rockhampton, St Lucia, Logan and Brisbane and from next year at Maroochydore and Hervey Bay.
Child Safety Minister Desley Boyle said the Department of Child Safety had worked with Queensland universities to revamp human services courses to give students specific skills in child protection.
“It takes a special person to work in child protection – seeing firsthand the effects of child abuse and neglect and helping children get through it,” Ms Boyle said.
“We need more Child Safety Officers right across Queensland and we need to make sure they get the right training and skills to do the job.”
Seven Queensland universities were given $50,000 each by the Department of Child Safety to review and revamp their courses.
“Some universities have introduced new majors so students can specialise in child protection, while others have developed new subjects and updated old ones.
“These improvements include teaching students about:
- child development and parenting;
- how to assess a child’s safety;
- extra factors to consider in rural and remote areas;
- working with children, parents and caregivers and;
- building resilience for the potentially confronting work.
“Each university will also be including compulsory studies on working with Indigenous children, families and communities.
“At Griffith University, all human services students will study a new course taught by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
Ms Boyle said the redesign of courses would ensure students received some insight into child safety early in their studies so they could consider it as a career.
“These new courses will increase the pool of graduates with child protection knowledge,” she said.
Ms Boyle said the new 2007 curriculum drew on child protection experts and key publications such as the department’s Child Safety Practice Manual to include the latest practices.
This year, the updated courses will be taught at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus, James Cook University’s Townsville campus, Queensland University of Technology’s Gardens Point campus, Griffith University’s Logan campus and Central Queensland University’s Rockhampton campus.
The University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Southern Queensland received funding last year to update their courses and are expected to teach the revised curriculum in 2008 at Maroochydore and Hervey Bay respectively.
Students undertaking the new child protection courses will be given priority for field placements with the Department of Child Safety.
The revamp of courses addresses concerns raised by the Crime and Misconduct Commission in its January 2004 report about a gap in child protection courses in Queensland.
Ends
Media contact: 3224 7477
19 February 2007