Reports

This report highlights the achievements of PeakCare towards our vision that Queensland children, young people and families in all their diversity are thriving with access to support when and where it’s needed.

Foundations of the Future – Building a Workforce that Cares, Connects and Evolves is our shared plan to strengthen and celebrate Queensland’s residential care workforce. Developed with the support of the sector, this strategy focuses on creating meaningful career pathways, building respectful and collaborative cultures, and ensuring every worker feels empowered to make a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people.

Queensland’s residential care system provides a crucial safety net – when its needed most – for children and young people experiencing vulnerability. Our workforce is characterised by people driven to make a difference. As a sector, however, we continue to face challenges in the delivery of quality care, as demand rises and the needs of children and young people become increasingly complex.

In 2023, PeakCare invited government to partner with the sector to address these concerns. As part of development of a workforce strategy to meet the current and future needs of Queensland’s residential care sector, the Catalyst for Care program released this Insights & Opportunities Report, building on work already undertaken to identify opportunities and challenges within the system.

Click here to view the Summary Report with key takeaways, indicators and highlights.

From July to November 2024, PeakCare conducted a Sector Voices survey and workshops right across Queensland. This initiative aimed to reflect PeakCare’s commitment to independent, evidence-based advocacy, driven by the voices of our members and the broader child and family sector.

This information has informed a formal insights report on the themes discussed, and how we will work together to advocate for solutions with the sector and with the new Queensland Government. Click here to view the report.

PeakCare’s Sector Voices survey and workshops, conducted across Queensland from July to November 2024, reflect our dedication to advocacy that is independent, evidence-based, and driven by the perspectives of our members and sector. As we travelled across Queensland, we gathered invaluable insights from our members, partners and stakeholders, with four key themes emerging from the workshops: children and young people, workforce, relationships and collaboration, and the child and family service system.

A full sector insights report is due for distribution in quarter one of 2025. In the meantime, click here to view PeakCare’s Sector Roadshow 2024 hot topics documentation.

One of PeakCare’s core principles is that children and young people are at the centre of everything we do. In line with this principle, we strongly believe the voices and perspectives of young people with experience of the youth justice system should guide the youth justice system. PeakCare has been regularly speaking with young people in youth detention across the past 12 months on issues that directly affect their lives. We will continue to hear and amplify these voices as they are most impacted by the system, and they have powerful insights about what works to reduce offending.

In June 2024, in response to Queensland’s foster carer shortage and the over-reliance on residential care, PeakCare, in partnership with the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) and The Demographics Group, released this groundbreaking report revealing the alarming need for system reform. This in-depth analysis sheds light on the demographic trends impacting Queensland’s foster care system and offers actionable opportunities for government to address the sector’s pressing challenges. Click here to view The Demographics Group slide pack.

In December 2023, in response to the Queensland Government’s review into residential care, PeakCare prepared a report consolidating the voices and expertise of the sector including those with a lived experience to inform development of Queensland’s roadmap for residential care.