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Child and family

• Support for children and families Information on supporting children and families
  • Support for parents and families
  • Independent person When Child Safety is making an important decision about an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child, the child and the childs family have a right to have a say and to have an independent Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander entity for a child independent person help make sure their voice is heard.
    • Information for children and young people
    • Information for families
    • Information for independent persons
• Protecting children We are dedicated to protecting children and young people who have been harmed or are at risk of harm.
  • About child protection Child Safety is dedicated to protecting children and young people who have been harmed, or are at risk of harm.
    • Reporting and referring concerns
    • Child protection legislation
    • Mandatory reporting
    • Children and young people's rights
    • Parents' rights
    • Roles and responsibilities
    • National approach to child protection
  • What is child abuse? A child is any person under 18 years of age. Child abuse is action, behaviours or inaction by an adult towards a child or young person that harms or endangers the child.
    • Signs of child abuse and neglect
    • Why does child abuse happen?
    • Effects of harm
    • Child sexual abuse
  • How to prevent abuse Most people want to love and care for their children, but parents can harm their children when stress, tiredness, lack of skills, information or support combine to make the pressures of caring for them overwhelming.
    • Protecting children from harm
    • Prevention and early intervention
  • Reporting child abuse If you have a reason to suspect a child in Queensland is experiencing harm, or is at risk of experiencing harm, you need to contact Child Safety Services.
    • If you suspect harm
    • What happens when we are contacted?
    • What happens when a report is made?
    • Reporting child abuse in other states
  • Responding to child abuse The department is the lead child protection agency in Queensland and is required by law to ensure that children and young people are safe from abuse, neglect and harm in their homes.
    • Moving a child to a safe place
    • Investigation and assessment The purpose of an investigation and assessment is to: investigate concerns received about harm and risk of harm.
      • Unborn children
      • Assessment orders
    • Care Agreements
    • What you can expect
  • Ongoing intervention Ongoing intervention occurs when we need to provide support and assistance to a child or young person and their family to meet their protection and care needs.
    • Case planning
      • Service referrals
    • Support Service case
    • Intervention with Parental Agreement
    • Child Protection Order
    • Family group meetings
    • Court processes
    • Youth justice
    • Contacts
  • Resources and publications
    • Handbook
• Foster and kinship care Every day, thousands of Queenslanders confirm their commitment to protecting Queenslands vulnerable children by being a foster or kinship carer.
  • Carer training
    • Foster carer training Our department is committed to providing pre-service and in-service training for foster carers to support the development of the skills and knowledge required to provide quality care to children and young people in out-of-home care.
      • Foreword
      • Procedures and guidelines
      • Frequently asked questions
      • Orientation
      • Learning outcomes
      • Pre-service training
      • Water safety for carers
      • Learning journal
      • Standard training
      • Caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
      • Advanced training Advanced training is flexible and based on the foster carers specific learning needs.
        • Attachment
        • Whose problem is this?
        • Foster Parent College
        • Independence and connections
        • I'm an individual...
        • Infectious diseases
        • Ready, set, fly! A parent's guide to teaching life skills
        • Loss and grief for children in care
        • Participation
        • Positive and Protective series
        • Reality fostering
        • Strategies for Managing Abuse Related Trauma (SMART)
        • Whose job is this?
      • Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
      • Acknowledgements
  • Rights and responsibilities It is our responsibility to ensure that children and young people in the child protection system are cared for in a safe and accountable way. Find out what this involves.
    • Standards of care
    • Statement of commitment
    • Charter of rights for a child in care
    • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
    • Child Placement Principle
  • Regulation of care When ongoing intervention with a child or young person and their family involves placing the child or young person away from their parents care, our department is required to ensure that the child is assured a safe and acceptable standard of care.
    • Concerns about the standards of care
    • Community Visitors and Child Advocates
  • Contacts Access contact information for the Foster and Kinship Carer Support Line, community foster care agencies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander foster care agencies, and peak bodies and advocacy groups.
    • Community foster care agency contacts Foster care community agencies contact information
      • Brisbane Region
      • Central Queensland Region
      • Far North Queensland Region
      • North Coast Region
      • North Queensland Region
      • South East Region
      • South West Region
    • Indigenous foster care agency contacts
    • Peak body and advocacy group contacts
  • Resources and publications Access publications including fact sheets, brochures, forms, guides, policies and procedures relating to foster and kinship care.
    • Information for existing carers
    • Information for prospective carers
    • Recruitment of foster carers
    • Children and Young People's Participation Strategy
• Adoption Adoption is a way to provide a permanent family for children who cannot live with their birth family.
  • Resources and publications
  • Evaluation form
• Child and family reform The Queensland Government has outlined its reform agenda for supporting Queensland families and keeping children safe.
  • Sharing responsibility for children's safety and wellbeing
  • Supporting families earlier
  • Working better with families in contact with the child protection system
  • Meeting the needs and requirements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families will have access to culturally appropriate Indigenous-specific and mainstream services and care.
    • Empowering Families Innovation Fund
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Service Reform Project
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Services
    • Family Participation Program
    • Indigenous career progression - cadetships and scholarships
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child protection sector and service development
  • Improving care and post-care for children and young people
  • Delivering quality services to children and families through a capable, motivated workforce and client-focused organisations
    • Quality Improvement Program
  • Building an accountable, transparent and cost-effective system
  • Child protection legislation reform
  • History of child protection legislation reforms
  • Specialist Services
• Queensland Government Response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse The Queensland Government response to the Royal Commission was tabled by the Premier in Parliament on 15 June 2018.
  • Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce
    • Taskforce members
  • National Redress Scheme in Queensland
• NDIS transition and implementation As the NDIS transition progresses in each region, new processes and relationships are being established between the NDIA and Queensland Government services, including our department.
  • Information for young people with disability in care
  • Information for foster and kinship carers of children with disability
  • NDIS information for parents and families of children in care
  • NDIS information for Family Support Providers
  • NDIS information for Residential Care services
• Our performance Find out about the performance of the Queensland child protection system.
  • Summary statistics Child protection data summary statistics.
    • Child protection orders
    • Protective orders
  • Family Support and Child Protection System Framework
  • Family Support Services
  • Intake phase The intake phase is the initial decision making point where the department determines its response to reports of suspected harm, or risk of harm, to a child or unborn child who may be at risk of harm after he or she is born.
    • Child concern reports
    • Notifications
  • Investigation and assessment phase Statistical data, analysis and supporting information regarding the investigation and assessment phase of the Queensland child protection system.
    • Assessment orders
    • Investigation and assessment
    • Substantiations
  • Ongoing intervention phase Ongoing intervention by the department is only required when it is determined that a child is in need of protection. When ongoing intervention is required, a case plan is developed in conjunction with the child or young person and their family.
    • Intervention with parental agreement
    • Short-term child protection orders
    • Living away from home
    • Carer families
  • Ongoing intervention phase (Permanency planning) When children cannot be safely reunified with their families, other permanency arrangements are considered. This includes seeking a long-term child protection order and providing the child with a stable, out-of-home care environment until they turn 18 years.
    • Legal Permanency - Long-term child protection orders
    • Exiting out-of-home care
  • Improved safety The departments role to ensure the childs safety is improved.
    • Re-entry
    • Standard of care reviews and harm reports
  • High quality services and improved wellbeing It is the departments role to ensure high quality services are delivered to children and young people that are meaningful to their protection needs and wellbeing.
    • Case plans
    • Child health passports
    • Physical Permanency: Stability and permanency of placements
    • Transition to adulthood
    • Relational Permanency – Placement with siblings
    • Cultural support plan
  • Representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children The department is committed to resolving the many challenges associated with the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system.
    • Our Way Strategy and Action Plan
    • Placement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
  • Family and household characteristics
  • Demographics
  • System and Practice Reviews - Child deaths
  • Regional data In August 2009 new Department of Communities regions came into effect. Annual data for 2009-10 onwards is reported against these new regions.
    • Central Queensland region
    • Moreton region
    • Northern region
    • South East region
    • South West region
  • Adoptions
  • Glossary of terms
  • Table notes
  • Contacts
  • Resources and publications
    • Child protection partnerships reports
• Child Safety Practice Manual
• Child and family resources Access historical publications around child and family issues.
  • Protecting children: an inquiry into abuse of children in foster care
  • Managing child safety information
  • Assessment of the OneSchool Referral Process

Women

• Queensland Women's Strategy
• Queensland Women's Week
• Women on boards
• Gender analysis toolkit Gender analysis is the methodology used to develop and deliver strategies that address the needs of Queensland women. Our Gender analysis toolkit can be used in any workplace to assist with policy or program development, implementation and evaluation.
  • Gender analysis toolkit resource
  • Gender analysis toolkit feedback form
• Queensland Women 2015

About us

• Our department Learn about our Director-General, our departments structure and regional boundaries.
  • Our Director-General
  • Our structure
  • Our regions
  • Putting customers first Find out how we are putting our customers first and our progress in transforming the way we are doing our business.
    • Customer vision
    • Satisfaction survey
    • Industry confidence survey
  • State Budget
  • Our governance committees
• Our Minister
• Our publications Read our corporate publications, find out about the legislation we manage, and our research.
  • Corporate publications Find out about our corporate publications, such as our Annual Report and Strategic Plan.
    • Annual Report The Annual Report is an account of the operational and financial performance of the department.
      • Annual Report 2018-19
      • Annual Report 2017-18
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability Action Plan
    • Strategic Plan
    • Disability Service Plan
    • Multicultural Action Plan
  • Legislation
  • Research
• Partners Find out who we partner with to deliver our services.
  • Child and family Find out who we partner with to deliver child and family services.
    • Our community partners Non-government organisations work in partnership with Child Safety Services to deliver services or programs to children, young people and families throughout Queensland.
      • Networks and peak bodies
      • Placement services
      • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child protection services
      • Family support
      • Child protection support services
    • Our government partners The Director of Child Protection Litigation is an independent statutory agency in the Department of Justice and Attorney-General portfolio established to make decisions as to which matters will be the subject of a child protection order application and what type of child protection order will be sought, as well as litigate the applications.
      • Evolve Interagency Services
      • Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Team System
      • Queensland Child Protection Guide
      • The Director of Child Protection Litigation
    • Child safety licensing Incorporated organisations delivering placement services to children subject to statutory child protection intervention are required to be licensed.
      • Licensing process
      • Licensing resources
      • Blue cards and exemption cards for Licensed Care Services
    • Information sharing
    • Resources and publications
      • Recordkeeping requirements for non-government organisations
  • Youth
  • Women
  • Violence prevention
• Funding and grants Find out about current funding and grants opportunities.
  • Departmental sponsorship
  • Human Services Quality Framework
  • Funding available
  • Legislative safeguards for funding
  • Streamlined agreements
    • Service agreement archive
  • Investment specifications Information on investment specifications.
    • Archive
    • Guidelines for diversion services and toolkit
  • Outcomes Co-design
  • Non-Government organisation access to interpreting services
  • Output funding and reporting
    • Archive
  • Online Acquittal Support Information System (OASIS) Information about OASIS, an online grants tool making it easier, simpler and faster for funded organisations to electronically update records, financial information, access reports and submit endorsed documents.
    • Log in to OASIS
    • Overview
    • Publications and resources
    • Contacts
• Right to information Find out about our approach to providing the community with greater access to information.
  • Publication scheme The publication scheme describes and categorises information routinely available from us.
    • About us
    • Our services
    • Our finances
    • Our priorities
    • Our decisions
    • Our policies
    • Our lists
      • Gifts and benefits register
  • Disclosure log The Right to Information Act 2009 requires agencies to publish information and documents on RTI disclosure logs.
    • Applications received
    • Documents accessed
• Careers Find out how you can join us and what career paths are available in our department.
  • Benefits of working with us
    • Remote and regional incentives
  • Career opportunities Information about the range of career opportunities available within the department.
    • Child protection careers We employ across a variety of child protection roles, from Child Safety Support Officers to Senior Practitioners.
      • Training and support
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander careers and training
      • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cadetships
  • For graduates
  • For students We have opportunities in city and regional locations and across a range of service areas.
    • Student placements
    • Student work experience
  • How to apply
  • Current vacancies
  • Career contacts

News

• 2019-20 Budget

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