Minister congratulates latest round of child protection graduates

Child Safety Minister Margaret Keech today congratulated the latest graduates from the Department of Child Safety’s training program for frontline child protection workers.

Mrs Keech presented certificates to 33 graduates from the department’s Certificate IV in Community Services (Protective Care) course at a ceremony in New Farm.

The graduates from throughout South East Queensland included 21 Department of Child Safety Support Officers and 12 child support workers from Indigenous organisations.

Mrs Keech said the Certificate IV training allowed para-professional child protection workers to consolidate and build on their existing skills, and to further advance their careers by obtaining formal qualifications.

“Child Safety Support Officers play a critical role in supporting vulnerable children in our communities, doing anything from attending medical appointments with children, to enrolling them at school and organising contact visits with their families,” Mrs Keech said.

“Workers from Indigenous organisations also play a vital role, providing the department with cultural advice about the child protection needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

“All of the graduating students from this program are working at the coalface of child protection – some have been in the field for up to 15 years.

“The training allows workers to update and consolidate their skills and knowledge, so they can continue to deliver quality support to vulnerable children and young people.”

Mrs Keech said she was committed to ensuring the state’s child protection workers had the support and training they needed to carry out their important role.

“We are extremely proud of the state’s child protection workers, and see continued investment in training as a continued investment in the frontline of child protection,” she said.

The Certificate IV is a joint initiative of the Department of Child Safety, the Department of Education, Training and the Arts, and the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE.

The program includes a balanced focus on both on and off the job learning and assessment, and also offers up-front assessment to recognise students’ existing knowledge and skills.

Media Contact: Jo Crompton 3224 7081