Prevention and early intervention front and centre in budget

A record $586.6 million child protection investment will deliver more child protection workers, more support for struggling families and more safe places to live for abused children and young people.

Child Safety Minister Margaret Keech said the Bligh Government’s record budget would mean brighter futures for more abused Queensland children.

“The Bligh Government 2008-09 Budget will mean more foster carers to offer abused children safe, loving homes, more specialist safe havens and help for severely abused young people, and safe houses for Indigenous children within their own communities,” she said.

“This record investment underpins our commitment to keeping our children and young people safe.”

Mrs Keech said a boost to family intervention services would help families keep children at home safely, or have their children return home.

“The ideal place for children to be is with their families. If we can do more work with families so that their children can return and live safely with them, or stay at home safely, it’s better for everyone,” she said.

“Our $14 million family intervention boost will allow us to fund experienced non-government organisations with proven track records in this field to give practical, common-sense assistance to families.

“This includes teaching parents skills that relieve stress, family conflict and anxiety --- managing anger, budgeting, preparing healthy meals, establishing routines and setting guidelines in the home.”

Key elements of the government’s investment in protecting children in include:

• a funding boost of $14.6 million over four years to set up safe houses staffed by community workers in eastern Cape York Peninsula, the Torres Strait, northern Cape York Peninsula and Mornington Island. Work is underway already to establish similar facilities in Doomadgee, Yarrabah, Palm Island and the Cape York communities of Pormpuraaw, Kowanyama, Aurukun and Weipa/Napranum.

“The Bligh Government is improving services and between2007-08 and 2011-2012 will now allocate $57 million building and operating safe houses in 11 Indigenous communities to protect at risk children,” Mrs Keech said.

“Indigenous children and young people are over-represented among the almost 7,000 children and young people who are unable to live at home.

“Safe places to stay within their own communities, in centres where family support is also provided, will help reduce this imbalance and at the very least, allow abused Indigenous children to stay in touch with their families and their communities.”

• $26.4 million over four years to add another 12 specially designed or modified group homes to provide safe places to live for abused young people. The government is already progressing three of these homes in Toowoomba, Mackay and the Gold Coast. The homes are for young people aged 12 and over when the abuse they have suffered makes it difficult for them to live in a foster family environment. The houses will have 24-hour on site carers and access to specialist services, including counselling.

• an extra $14 million over four years to boost family intervention services. It helps families where children have been harmed, so that children and young people can safely stay at home, or come back to their families. In 2008-09, this will mean $12 million to work with an estimated 1800 families.

• an extra $29.8 million over four years for extra child protection workers, including $6 million in 2008-09 for about 40 new workers, plus improved career paths. This staffing boost will put extra workers into high-need communities where abused children and young people most need help.

“Child protection workers make difficult decisions every day under workloads that are becoming difficult to manage as Queensland’s population booms,” Mrs Keech said.

“Additional staff and an enhanced career structure for the frontline will help us keep our best people, and mean better support and protection for the children and young people in our care.”

Mrs Keech said more than half of the 2008-09 child protection budget would be invested in providing an estimated 7,400 children and young people safe places to live In 2008-09. This $294.2 million includes:

• $70.7 million directly to foster and kinship carers to support their work caring for abused and neglected children
  
  
• more than $183 million to non-government organisations for a range of services, including recruiting, training, assessing and supporting carers; find carers and other safe places to live for abused children; and caring for children and young people in group homes and other safe places. Of the $183 million, $3.2 million will provide safe places to live and specialist help for severely abused children and young people, including specialist, one-on-one carers. This will be targeted at children and young people whose existing care arrangements are at risk of breaking down because of their high needs.

Other key elements of the 2008-09 child safety investment include:

• a further $3 million instalment in the four-year One Chance at Childhood initiative to provide greater stability for babies and toddlers in the child protection system. This money will go towards recruiting and supporting specialist staff working on cases involving children aged up to four years.

• $5.2 million for adoption services, including finalising 85 local and international adoptions for Queensland families.

The 2008-09 Department of Child Safety portfolio budget also includes $5.8 million for the Office for Women (OFW), which provides ongoing policy advice across a range of issues affecting women as well as practical state-wide programs such as financial literacy courses and training and leadership courses for young and Indigenous women. The budget estimates the OFW will handle around 30,000 inquiries in 2008-09.

Media Contact: Jo Crompton 3224 7081