- One of Queensland’s peak child protection bodies, PeakCare, will receive nearly $3.3 million to lead a workforce strategy to improve services and outcomes for children and young people in residential care
- Residential care staff will receive more professional development opportunities to broaden essential knowledge and skills
- Almost all first-year actions under the government’s five-year A Roadmap for Residential Care in Queensland are now underway
One of Queensland’s peak child protection bodies, PeakCare, will receive nearly $3.3 million to improve residential care services and outcomes for children and young people in care.
PeakCare will use the funding to develop a residential care workforce strategy to meet the needs of the sector, expand Queensland’s Hope and Healing Framework to further equip the workforce and establish a new sector-led forum to showcase and recognise best practice across the sector.
The funding supports the Miles Government’s reforms to reduce the use of residential care and encourage more family-based care opportunities, as outlined in A Roadmap for Residential Care in Queensland.
The five-year roadmap proposed 19 actions in the first year, with 16 underway and the remaining three in the scoping phase.
First-year actions include establishing a Ministerial Youth Advisory Board, working with stakeholders to boost foster and kinship carer numbers, and improving culturally-led and early intervention support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in care.
Residential care supports children and young people who often need a higher level of specialist and therapeutic support unable to be met in other forms of care.
As stated by Minister for Child Safety Charis Mullen:
“Residential care is a necessary option, however we need to improve services and build a stronger, more resilient workforce that can respond to the unique circumstances and life experiences of some children and young people in care.
“We also know we need to provide better support to our foster and kinship carers, which is why we will provide new foundational skills training, as well as ongoing training opportunities, to better equip carers in their role.
“We are working hard to significantly reduce the proportion of children being placed in residential care and support more families and individuals to provide a home-based care placement for our most vulnerable young people.
“Children and young people in care deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and to know they will be kept safe, cared for and nurtured so they can live their very best lives.”
As stated by PeakCare CEO Tom Allsop:
“Queensland’s child and family sector is committed to providing the best possible care for every child and family in need of support.
“Each and every day, thousands of dedicated youth workers across Queensland care for children who have experienced significant abuse or neglect.
“Every child in care deserves the right support at the right time and more family-based care options are needed to reduce Queensland’s reliance on residential care.
“PeakCare welcomes the Queensland Government’s investment of nearly $3.3 million to strengthen the residential care workforce through a dedicated workforce strategy and expanded training opportunities.
“This investment by the Queensland Government will help create a better system for the thousands of dedicated workers, carers and service providers who are essential in giving back hope to the children and families who need it most.”
