Number of approved carer families, by carer type and Indigenous status, Queensland, as at 30 June 2020
Carer type | Indigenous | Non-Indigenous | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Foster carers | 315 | 2648 | 2963 |
Kinship carers | 230 | 798 | 1028 |
Provisionally approved carers | 33 | 101 | 134 |
Description | Annual | Quarterly |
---|---|---|
CF.1: Carer families, by carer type and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, Queensland | Excel Excel | Excel Excel |
CF.2: Carer families, by carer type and region, Queensland | Excel Excel | Excel Excel |
CF.3: Carer family commencements, by carer type and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, Queensland | Excel Excel | Excel Excel |
CF.4: Carer family exits, by carer type and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, Queensland | Excel Excel | Excel Excel |
Approved carers play a key role in the child protection system, providing care for children when separation from their family is required to ensure their safety.
The approval of carers is prescribed by the Child Protection Act 1999 and the Child Protection Regulation 2011. There are three types of approved carers:
In Queensland, there is a critical need for more foster and kinship carers to allow the department and community fostering agencies to better match the needs of children with suitable carers.
An increased pool of foster carers will ensure more long-term, successful and rewarding placements for children who are unable to live with their own families.
If you are interested in becoming a foster or kinship carer, please call 1300 550 877 or complete an expression of interest.
As at 30 June 2020, there were 5,611 carer families (3,532 foster carers, 1,833 kinship carers and 246 provisionally approved carers). Overall, the number of carer families has increased, by 5.0 per cent since 30 June 2019 (5,345) and 8.2 per cent since 30 June 2016 (5,186).
Of the 5,611 carer families as at 30 June 2020, 17.5 per cent were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (984) and 82.5 per cent were non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (4,627).
The ratio of children and young people in home-based care to the number of carer families was 1.68 as at 30 June 2020.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence