Child Safety Director-General’s update for foster and kinship carers

Your attention is drawn to the latest Director-General’s COVID-19 UPDATE sent to foster and kinship carers. This edition of the UPDATE includes information about:

Return to school

Information is provided about:

• the return of all children to regular classroom learning from Monday, 25th May in line with advice from Queensland Health and announcements made by Education Queensland
• online resources that can continue to be accessed from Education Queensland’s learning @home website for students with health support needs who will be supported by their teachers while they learn from home
• other strategies that will used in maintaining the priority being given to the health and wellbeing of students and school staff

Support for young people up to 19 years of age

Advice is provided about:

• the entitlement for an approved carer, or long-term or permanent guardian, who is continuing to care for a young person who has turned 18, to receive a fortnightly carer allowance until they turn 19, regardless of their education status
• in response to COVID-19, the decision that these payments will be backdated to 29th March to align with the Queensland Health directive
• how further information about changes to carer allowances can be obtained from the Queensland Government foster and kinship care web page

Family contact

Information is provided about:

• decisions about face-to-face contact between children and their families continuing to be made on a case-by-case basis
• support that is generally given to continuing face-to-face contact between children, their siblings and parents unless there are health concerns for those who facilitate or participate in these arrangements
• a re-looking at how family contact can be supported and facilitated in line with the easing of restrictions

Please ensure that, in addition to familiarising yourself with this information, you check that all Foster and Kinship Carers with whom you are working have received and considered this UPDATE.