The Australian Government Productivity Commission’s annual Report on Government Services (ROGS) Chapter 15, which covers Australia’s child protection services, was released on 24th January 2017. The Queensland Government has also released Child Safety’s September 2016 quarterly data.
Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman’s media release says the data show signs of improvement for Queensland’s system “for the first time in almost 3 years” and “we are beginning to turn the corner in these performance measures”. She cites an increased number of intakes and notifications yet improved timeliness in commencing investigations; a drop in the number of children re-entering the child protection system; more children living with kinship carers; and 116 more carer families. More Child Safety frontline staff and specialist investigation teams, the message of ‘play your part’ getting through to friends and family, and the growing investment in early intervention and prevention are largely credited with driving the improvements.
Read this blog by Tracey Smith, PeakCare’s Principal Policy Adviser to find out more about what the figures are telling us. Very importantly, this includes commentary about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are faring.