Extra child safety staff relieving work pressure in Toowoomba

Child and family services continue to be boosted across the South West Queensland region, with 33 new child safety staff already on the ground and around 38 more on their way over the next two years to help keep vulnerable children as safe as possible.

On Thursday the State Government released a comprehensive review on the operation of the state’s Child Safety system.

Minister for Child Safety Shannon Fentiman said the review had identified the impact of the LNP’s devastating job cuts that saw Child Safety Officer numbers in Queensland going backwards.

Between June 2012 and June 2014 there were 130 fewer regional support staff and child safety officers in Queensland – this was the regional frontline impact of the combination of 225 permanent positions being cut and 177 temporary contracts not being renewed by the LNP. 

Here in the South West Region we lost five regional support staff and child safety officers

The Queensland Government is acting to repair the damage done by these LNP cuts by employing over 400 additional staffwho are either on the ground now or commencing over the next two years.

“These are life-saving jobs. Already around 16 new staff are working here in the two Toowoomba child safety service centres.

“This has seen caseloads reduce at Toowoomba South Child Safety Service Centre from 22.7 as at 30 June 2016 to 16.8 as at 31 March 2017, and Toowoomba North Child Safety Service Centre from 19.2 as at 30 June 2016 to 18.2 as at 31 March 2017.

“We have increased the Toowoomba South Child Safety Service Centre operating budget by 44 per cent from 2016-17 to 2017-18, while the Toowoomba North Child Safety Service Centre’s operating budget has increased by almost 21 per cent over the same period.”

“With our new investment this year we will see even more improvements, and we already know that 10 new regional positions are expected to be created in the Toowoomba Child Safety Services Centres within the next 12 months.”

A further three positions are also expected to be created in the Western Downs Investigation and Assessment area within the next year.

Ms Fentiman said the review was commissioned by the Queensland Family and Child Commission, and it has not only helped identify pressure points but also made sure our $200 million investment in additional staff had the right mix of staff required to respond.

“This includes employing extra staff to form state-wide relief pools to backfill officers on leave and creating new senior positions to provide career pathways to keep experienced staff at the frontline,” Ms Fentiman said.

Ms Fentiman said the reports also reinforce what we already know about the complexity of families we are working with, including the devastating effects of the insidious drug Ice.

“It’s no surprise that the LNP’s irresponsible cuts to staff have been felt the hardest in areas now responding to the scourge of ice use in regional corridors around Queensland, including Toowoomba,” Ms Fentiman said.

“Our child safety staff are dedicated and hard-working people and the work they are doing is increasingly complex. Staff are working more intensively with families to overcome issues such as Ice abuse and that work is taking longer.”

ENDS

Media Contact:          Ron Goodman                       07 3719 7511