Published Thursday, 22 March, 2007 at 08:52 AM
Minister for Child Safety
The Honourable Desley Boyle
Three years of reform - 110 ticks for Child Safety
The State Government has now implemented all 110 recommendations made by the Crime and Misconduct Commission for sweeping reform of the child protection system in Queensland.
Child Safety Minister Desley Boyle said: “They have been achieved exactly three years to the day after the Government received Peter Forster’s blueprint on how to implement the reforms.
“What a long way we’ve come since the debacles revealed by the Courier Mail that led to the CMC inquiry.
“It’s been a huge enterprise for the Government to get the new Department of Child Safety up and running and at the same time implementing all 110 recommendations.
“Premier Peter Beattie gave a commitment that the recommendations would be in place in three years and we’ve done it. And this has been achieved despite climbing numbers of reports of child abuse and children being taken into care.
“The 110 recommendations notwithstanding, our best performance measure is those kids in care. In a Children’s Commission survey last year over 97% of foster children felt safe in their placement and 98.9% felt their carer treated them well.
“There are many staff who have stayed with us through these three years. They deserve particular congratulations and recognition because not only is the work of child safety hard enough, day by day, but in the context of this massive program of reform there is no doubt it would have been difficult and stressful.
“All Queenslanders should thank them. I truly believe we are close now to a system of child protection that will be as good as any in the world.
Highlights of the three years of reform include:
• $503 million budget in 2006-07 - more than double the $182 million allocated in 2003-04 to the former Department of Families for child protection
• Creation of Australia’s first, stand alone department for child protection
• Staff numbers have increased from 1217 when the department was created to more than 2200 now
• More than 80% of staff are now frontline, compared to 52% in the CMC report.
• 48 Child Safety Service Centres throughout Queensland and a $30 million program to improve facilities
• The new ICMS I.T. system gives child safety officers instant access to state-wide records
• Child safety officers are now supported by court officers, SCAN co-ordinators, Family Group Meeting convenors, placement officers, business support officers
• Better training for child safety staff
• Specialised child protection courses now taught in seven Queensland universities
• Bridging courses for teachers, nurses and other professionals to become child safety officers
• Child Safety Practice Manual developed
• Structured Decision Making tools to provide more consistent practice
• Health Passports to provide comprehensive health assessments and treatment for children entering care
• Education Support Plans for children in care
• Greater participation of indigenous people in decisions about indigenous children
• The principle that whenever possible indigenous children in care are placed with indigenous carers
• Independent reviews of deaths of children known to the department
• The appointment of the Child Guardian to provide an independent oversight of vulnerable children
• Increased payments to foster carers who now receive between $370 and $434 a fortnight tax free for every child in their care
• After Hours Help Line for foster carers
• Blue Card checks for foster carers
• Better training for foster carers
• Increased funding to the non government sector to support foster carers and provide residential placements
• Doctors, registered nurses, and teachers are now required by law to report suspected child abuse
• A model developed to assist managing caseloads
President of Foster Care Queensland Bryan Smith said the huge changes had delivered improvements for foster carers.
“At least half of these reforms in a positive sense go some way to supporting foster carers,” Mr Smith said.
CREATE Foundation CEO Ric Hubbard, whose organisation represents children in care, commended the Department for listening to young people’s views before making policy changes.
“We’re involved in so many of the Department’s forums and committees which is giving young people a chance to give their views and be heard,” Mr Hubbard said.
Abused Child Trust Chairman Dr David Wood congratulated the Department on achieving “this extremely important milestone”.
“The Abused Child Trust’s motto is zero child abuse and this is a significant step in trying to achieve that,” Dr Wood said.
Seven of the 110 CMC recommendations related to the establishment of a Child Guardian function within the Commission for Children and Young People to oversee the child protection system.
Commissioner Elizabeth Fraser said this legislative function provides external accountability to strengthen the rights, interests and safety of children and young people in the system.
The successful implementation of the recommendations has enabled the Child Guardian function to report that 98% of children and young people feel safe in their current placements.
Ms Fraser said the Commission's future focus is on promoting and reporting on specific issues affecting the wellbeing of children and young people in the child protection system.
Ends
Media contact: 3224 7477
22 March 2007
Child Safety Minister Desley Boyle said: “They have been achieved exactly three years to the day after the Government received Peter Forster’s blueprint on how to implement the reforms.
“What a long way we’ve come since the debacles revealed by the Courier Mail that led to the CMC inquiry.
“It’s been a huge enterprise for the Government to get the new Department of Child Safety up and running and at the same time implementing all 110 recommendations.
“Premier Peter Beattie gave a commitment that the recommendations would be in place in three years and we’ve done it. And this has been achieved despite climbing numbers of reports of child abuse and children being taken into care.
“The 110 recommendations notwithstanding, our best performance measure is those kids in care. In a Children’s Commission survey last year over 97% of foster children felt safe in their placement and 98.9% felt their carer treated them well.
“There are many staff who have stayed with us through these three years. They deserve particular congratulations and recognition because not only is the work of child safety hard enough, day by day, but in the context of this massive program of reform there is no doubt it would have been difficult and stressful.
“All Queenslanders should thank them. I truly believe we are close now to a system of child protection that will be as good as any in the world.
Highlights of the three years of reform include:
• $503 million budget in 2006-07 - more than double the $182 million allocated in 2003-04 to the former Department of Families for child protection
• Creation of Australia’s first, stand alone department for child protection
• Staff numbers have increased from 1217 when the department was created to more than 2200 now
• More than 80% of staff are now frontline, compared to 52% in the CMC report.
• 48 Child Safety Service Centres throughout Queensland and a $30 million program to improve facilities
• The new ICMS I.T. system gives child safety officers instant access to state-wide records
• Child safety officers are now supported by court officers, SCAN co-ordinators, Family Group Meeting convenors, placement officers, business support officers
• Better training for child safety staff
• Specialised child protection courses now taught in seven Queensland universities
• Bridging courses for teachers, nurses and other professionals to become child safety officers
• Child Safety Practice Manual developed
• Structured Decision Making tools to provide more consistent practice
• Health Passports to provide comprehensive health assessments and treatment for children entering care
• Education Support Plans for children in care
• Greater participation of indigenous people in decisions about indigenous children
• The principle that whenever possible indigenous children in care are placed with indigenous carers
• Independent reviews of deaths of children known to the department
• The appointment of the Child Guardian to provide an independent oversight of vulnerable children
• Increased payments to foster carers who now receive between $370 and $434 a fortnight tax free for every child in their care
• After Hours Help Line for foster carers
• Blue Card checks for foster carers
• Better training for foster carers
• Increased funding to the non government sector to support foster carers and provide residential placements
• Doctors, registered nurses, and teachers are now required by law to report suspected child abuse
• A model developed to assist managing caseloads
President of Foster Care Queensland Bryan Smith said the huge changes had delivered improvements for foster carers.
“At least half of these reforms in a positive sense go some way to supporting foster carers,” Mr Smith said.
CREATE Foundation CEO Ric Hubbard, whose organisation represents children in care, commended the Department for listening to young people’s views before making policy changes.
“We’re involved in so many of the Department’s forums and committees which is giving young people a chance to give their views and be heard,” Mr Hubbard said.
Abused Child Trust Chairman Dr David Wood congratulated the Department on achieving “this extremely important milestone”.
“The Abused Child Trust’s motto is zero child abuse and this is a significant step in trying to achieve that,” Dr Wood said.
Seven of the 110 CMC recommendations related to the establishment of a Child Guardian function within the Commission for Children and Young People to oversee the child protection system.
Commissioner Elizabeth Fraser said this legislative function provides external accountability to strengthen the rights, interests and safety of children and young people in the system.
The successful implementation of the recommendations has enabled the Child Guardian function to report that 98% of children and young people feel safe in their current placements.
Ms Fraser said the Commission's future focus is on promoting and reporting on specific issues affecting the wellbeing of children and young people in the child protection system.
Ends
Media contact: 3224 7477
22 March 2007