The Queensland government has announced further reforms and additional staff for Queensland’s child protection system in response to the Queensland Family and Child Commission’s report, A systems review of individual agency findings following the death of a child.
The government’s investment aims to improve coordination between the health and child protection systems, and to provide more frontline staff. The package includes 12 Child Safety Officers in major hospitals to improve information sharing and decision-making when medical professionals are concerned about a child’s safety; 20 new nurses to provide support and advice on substance use and mental health in Family and Child Connect services; a change to funding rules for non-government early intervention support providers so families don’t need to engage with a new provider under funding program boundaries; 12 extra child safety workers at the new Moreton Bay Child Safety Service Centre; and a Child Safety Quality Assurance flying squad to drive improvements in the way service centres respond to families where there are drug misuse and mental health issues.
The QFCC’s report recommended the development of an external and independent model for reviewing the death of a child ‘known to the child protection system’. View the media release or access the QFCC report.
The government announcement of this financial investment in further child protection reforms and additional frontline staff has been over-shadowed by media attention focused on the Government’s decision to not publicly release the Child Death Review Panel’s Report. Click here to read PeakCare’s commentary about this decision.