Resources and publications

Publications

• Information for existing carers - used for the induction of foster and kinship carers.
• Information for prospective carers - for people interested in becoming a foster or kinship carer.
• Foster and Kinship Carer Handbook
• Charter of rights books:
  • Kid's rights (PDF, 2.5 MB), for children aged 4 to 8 years
  • My journey in care (PDF, 1.7 MB), for young people aged 9 to 15 years.
• Statement of Commitment between the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and the foster and kinship carers of Queensland
• Children and Young People's Participation Strategy
• My Home - providing a permanent home for children who are unable to live with their own families (PDF, 248 KB) My Home - providing a permanent home for children who are unable to live with their own families (DOCX, 18 KB)
• National Disability Insurance Scheme:
  • Factsheet 1 for foster and kinship carers - general NDIS information (PDF, 161 KB) Factsheet 1 for foster and kinship carers - general NDIS information (RTF, 13.9 MB)
  • Factsheet 2 for foster and kinship carers - planning with the NDIS (PDF, 424 KB) Factsheet 2 for foster and kinship carers - planning with the NDIS (RTF, 75 KB)
  • Factsheet 3 for foster and kinship carers - caring for a child with an NDIS plan (PDF, 405 KB) Factsheet 3 for foster and kinship carers - caring for a child with an NDIS plan (RTF, 77 KB)
  • Factsheet 1 for young people in care - general NDIS information (PDF, 439 KB) Factsheet 1 for young people in care - general NDIS information (RTF, 111 KB)

Forms and templates

• Application for approval - Form 3 APA (PDF, 681 KB) Application for approval - Form 3 APA (DOC, 344 KB) Application for approval - Form 3 APA (RTF, 131 KB)
• Application for approval - Form 3 APA - Guide to completion (PDF, 54 KB)
• Link an applicant/cardholder to this organisation for a carer or adult member or regular visitor (PDF)  
• Carer applicant health and well-being questionnaire (PDF, 130 KB)
• Change in carer circumstances form (PDF, 171 KB) Change in carer circumstances form (RTF, 40 KB)
• Conclusion of Placement form (DOC) Conclusion of Placement form (RTF, 128 KB)
• Covering letter for change of circumstances form (DOC, 22 KB)
• Covering letter for the information kit (DOC, 27 KB)
• Exemption card application form (PDF) (PDF) 
• Expression of interest (becoming a foster or kinship carer)
• Form 1: Foster carer intake (DOC, 598 KB)
• Form 2: Household safety study (DOC, 160 KB) Form 2: Household safety study (RTF, 185 KB)
• Form 3A: Carer applicant assessment and recommendation - Initial approval only (DOC, 222 KB)
• Form 3A: Guidelines for completing assessment report - Initial approval only (PDF, 632 KB) Form 3A: Guidelines for completing assessment report - Initial approval only (RTF, 896 KB)
• Form 3B: Carer applicant assessment and recommendation - Renewal of approval only (DOCX, 90 KB) Form 3B: Carer applicant assessment and recommendation - Renewal of approval only (RTF, 740 KB)
• Form 3B: Guidelines for completing assessment report - Renewal of approval only (PDF, 612 KB) Form 3B: Guidelines for completing assessment report - Renewal of approval only (RTF, 2.5 MB)
• Foster Carer Agreement (DOCX, 829 KB)
• General practitioner's report on carer applicant (PDF, 111 KB)
• Invitation to information session (DOC, 29 KB)
• Invitation to initial interview (DOC, 23 KB)
• Kinship carer initial assessment report (DOCX, 849 KB)
• Kinship carer initial assessment report guidelines (PDF, 945 KB) 
• Kinship carer renewal assessment report (DOC, 1.1 MB)
• Kinship carer renewal assessment report guidelines (PDF, 677 KB)
• New adult household member form (DOC, 128 KB)
• Quality care: Foster carer training forms and templates
• Volunteer foster/kinship carer or adult member blue card application form (VC) (PDF)

For more foster care forms and templates, refer to the Chapter 8. Regulation of care resources in the Child Safety Practice Manual.

Guides and manuals

• Practice paper: Assessment of foster carer applicants (PDF, 83 KB)
• Quality care: foster care training
• Reporting missing children: Guidelines for approved carers and care services (PDF, 439 KB) Reporting missing children: Guidelines for approved carers and care services (RTF, 1.9 MB)
• When a child in care is missing: Protocol for joint agency response

Legislation

• Child Protection Act 1999
• Child Protection Regulation 2011
• Child Protection (International Measures) Act 2003
• Child protection legislation: an historical perspective
• Childrens Court Act 1992
• Family Services Act 1987

News and events

• Foster and Kinship Carer Week

Policies and procedures

Child related costs

• Child related costs - carer support (597) (PDF, 177 KB) Child related costs - carer support (597) (RTF, 85 KB)
• Child related costs - client support and family contact (598) (PDF, 438 KB) Child related costs - client support and family contact (598) (RTF, 761 KB)
• Child related costs - education support (599) (PDF, 551 KB) Child related costs - education support (599) (DOC, 571 KB)
• Child related costs - in-home support funding (630) (PDF, 492 KB) Child related costs - in-home support funding (630) (RTF, 18 KB)
• Child related costs - in-home support funding (procedure 630) (PDF, 512 KB) Child related costs - in-home support funding (procedure 630) (RTF, 35 KB)
• Child related costs - long-term guardian support (608) (PDF, 166 KB) Child related costs - long-term guardian support (608) (RTF, 70 KB)
• Child related costs - long-term guardian support (procedure 608) (PDF, 170 KB) Child related costs - long-term guardian support (procedure 608) (RTF, 60 KB)
• Child related costs - medical (596) (PDF, 189 KB) Child related costs - medical (596) (RTF, 134 KB)
• Child related costs - outfitting (600) (PDF, 387 KB) Child related costs - outfitting (600) (RTF, 936 KB)
• Child related costs - placement funding (628) (PDF, 495 KB) Child related costs - placement funding (628) (RTF, 20 KB)
• Child related costs - placement funding (procedure 628) (PDF, 510 KB) Child related costs - placement funding (procedure 628) (RTF, 33 KB)
• Child related costs - placement support funding (629) (PDF, 493 KB) Child related costs - placement support funding (629) (RTF, 19 KB)
• Child related costs - placement support funding (procedure 629) (PDF, 502 KB) Child related costs - placement support funding (procedure 629) (RTF, 27 KB)
• Child related costs - travel (595) (PDF, 106 KB) Child related costs - travel (595) (RTF, 107 KB)

Children in care

• Early childhood education and care participation Minimum gap payment (640) (PDF, 330 KB) Early childhood education and care participation Minimum gap payment (640) (RTF, 217 KB)
• Emergent accommodation (631) (PDF, 493 KB) Emergent accommodation (631) (RTF, 20 KB)
• Emergent accommodation (procedure 631) (PDF, 500 KB) Emergent accommodation (procedure 631) (RTF, 25 KB)
• Participation by children and young people in decision making (369) (PDF, 175 KB) Participation by children and young people in decision making (369) (RTF, 66 KB)
• Permanency planning (594) (PDF, 368 KB) Permanency planning (594) (RTF, 28 KB)
• Placement of children in care as part of an integrated child protection response (578) (PDF, 173 KB) Placement of children in care as part of an integrated child protection response (578) (RTF, 90 KB)
• Positive behaviour support (604) (PDF, 105 KB) Positive behaviour support (604) (RTF, 41 KB)
• Residential care (606) (PDF, 96 KB) Residential care (606) (RTF, 32 KB)
• Responding to concerns about the standards of care (326) (PDF, 88 KB) Responding to concerns about the standards of care (326) (RTF, 25 KB)
• Response to children and young people sexually abused whilst placed in out-of-home care (627) (PDF, 177 KB) Response to children and young people sexually abused whilst placed in out-of-home care (627) (RTF, 87 KB)
• Supporting children in the care of long-term guardians (607) (PDF, 170 KB) Supporting children in the care of long-term guardians (607) (RTF, 67 KB)
• Therapeutic residential care (577) (PDF, 103 KB) Therapeutic residential care (577) (RTF, 37 KB)
• Transitioning from care into adulthood (349) (PDF, 167 KB) Transitioning from care into adulthood (349) (RTF, 93 KB)

Foster and kinship care

• Carer learning and support (457) (PDF, 161 KB) Carer learning and support (457) (RTF, 63 KB)
• Carer participation (460) (PDF, 163 KB) Carer participation (460) (RTF, 63 KB)
• Carer participation (procedure 460) (PDF, 170 KB) Carer participation (procedure 460) (RTF, 60 KB)
• Complex Support Needs Allowance (612) (PDF, 243 KB) Complex Support Needs Allowance (612) (DOC, 183 KB)
• Complex Support Needs Allowance (procedure 612) (PDF, 433 KB) Complex Support Needs Allowance (procedure 612) (DOC, 253 KB)
• Dual payment of carer allowances (289) (PDF, 334 KB) Dual payment of carer allowances (289) (RTF, 454 KB)
• Dual payment of carer allowances (procedure 289) (PDF, 329 KB) Dual payment of carer allowances (procedure 289) (RTF, 766 KB)
• Expenses - fortnightly caring allowance and interstate foster payments (365) (PDF, 219 KB) Expenses - fortnightly caring allowance and interstate foster payments (365) (RTF, 68 KB)
• Expenses - fortnightly caring allowance and inter-state foster payments (procedure 365) (PDF, 362 KB) Expenses - fortnightly caring allowance and inter-state foster payments (procedure 365) (RTF, 175 KB)
• Foster care training (383) (PDF, 159 KB) Foster care training (383) (RTF, 53 KB)
• High support needs allowance (296) (PDF, 279 KB) High support needs allowance (296) (RTF, 359 KB)
• High support needs allowance (procedure 296) (PDF, 300 KB) High support needs allowance (procedure 296) (RTF, 1.3 MB)
• Immunisation of children in out-of-home care (638) (PDF)
• Kinship care (632) (PDF, 90 KB) Kinship care (632) (RTF, 26 KB)
• Placement of children with departmental employees (36) (PDF, 87 KB) Placement of children with departmental employees (36) (RTF, 25 KB)
• Regional-remote loading for carers (379) (PDF, 272 KB) Regional-remote loading for carers (379) (RTF, 361 KB)
• Regional-remote loading for carers (procedure 379) (PDF, 196 KB) Regional-remote loading for carers (procedure 379) (RTF, 598 KB)

Websites

For foster or kinship carers

• Foster and kinship care - information on the Queensland Government website about foster care, becoming a foster or kinship carer, information for existing foster and kinship carers, and for young people in care.
• Foster and kinship care information pack - information for people interested in becoming a foster or kinship carer in Queensland.
• Carer Business Discount Card - learn more about the Carer Business Discount Card, which is issued to approved foster and kinship carers to help them save on goods and services at participating businesses.
• Community foster care agencies - list of community agencies involved in foster care services in Queensland.
• Foster Care Queensland - peak body for foster carers in Queensland.
• Hands On Scotland - a Scottish government sponsored online resource for anyone working with children and young people.
• Indigenous foster care agencies - list of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander foster care agencies in Queensland.
• Kidscount - Australian Childhood Foundation website providing parenting information about raising happy and confident children in a number of languages.
• PeakCare Queensland - peak organisation of non-government service providers in the child protection sector.

For young people in care or transitioning to independence

• Young people in care - information on the Queensland Government website for young people in or transitioning from care about family group meetings, case plans, education support plans, child health passports, leaving care, standards of care, and making a complaint. 
• CREATE Foundation - connects and empowers children and young people in care and improves the care system through activities, programs, training and policy advice.
• Create your future - a guide for young people leaving care.