MAKING OUR COMMUNITY SAFER PLAN
- New 24hr dual carer supervision model for Residential Care.
- Reform Residential Care system to break the cycle of youth crime with a focus on discipline and education.
- 20% boost to Child Safety officer numbers to aid early intervention.
- New $50 million SecureCare facility for young people with mental health needs who are a danger to themselves or others.
- New $27 million professional foster care pilot program for kids with complex needs.
- $1500 boost to yearly allowance for each child in out-of-home care, for education and extracurricular activities.
- New independent complaints escalation process for complex cases to support families and carers.
The LNP has today announced a major $383 million Safer Children, Safer Communities policy, with a plan to reform the broken Residential Care system and protect our State’s most vulnerable children.
Labor has failed to keep our most vulnerable kids safe and without guidance, discipline and support, an increasing number of children have fallen into Queensland’s Youth Crime Crisis.
Currently, 11,810 children are living away from home under the care of Child Safety with 1,955 children in Residential Care, including 358 under 10 years of age.
As part of Child Safety Week, the LNP has announced the significant Safer Children, Safer Communities plan to repair the broken system and stop Residential Care being a halfway house for kids cycling through detention.
By restoring and significantly strengthening support and parental care, the plan ensures children who first come into contact with the Child Safety system receive the critical support and intervention they need to turn their lives around, before they head down a path of youth crime.
The LNP’s Safer Children, Safer Communities plan will boost child safety officers by 20% to end skyrocketing caseloads and ensure safety tip-offs about kids at risk are investigated on-time to keep them safe.
Currently under Labor, many Residential Care facilities only have one worker at any time, with little oversight and inability to provide focused care for children.
A Crisafulli LNP Government would deliver a new dual carer model with two carers working at Residential Care facilities 24hrs a day, providing safety, restoring behavioural consequences for children and ensuring they are attending school.
To put an end to Residential Care being a funnel into a life of crime, all Residential Care facilities would be working with the new dual carer model by end of 2030.
The LNP will deliver a Queensland-first SecureCare facility by 2028 to provide safe care to children who are a danger to themselves and others, and a new $27 million professional foster care pilot for children whose complex needs can’t be met in Residential Care.
An additional $1500 will be provided for every child in out-of-home care for sports, music, tutoring or other educational and extracurricular activities to keep them connected with communities and build the skills for life.
A new independent complaints review process will be established to escalate serious concerns about complex cases and restore critical support for families and carers.
LNP Leader David Crisafulli said for too long out-of-home care had failed to provide vulnerable Queensland children with the parental care and support they needed, which was driving up youth crime.
“The LNP’s Safer Children, Safer Communities plan will protect our state’s most vulnerable children and repair the broken system that’s putting communities at risk,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“The LNP will reform Child Safety with an emphasis on personal responsibility, attending school and extracurricular activities, access to employment and training opportunities for older children, and a focus on transitioning to foster care so residential care isn’t an end destination.
“With 58% of children under youth justice supervision having contact with Child Safety in the previous five years, it’s clear the broken system is acting as a youth crime pipeline.
“Child Safety staff are increasingly stretched beyond capacity, unable to deliver the focus and attention needed to keep children in their care safe.
“What’s worse, supervision and discipline haven’t been a priority, many kids aren’t attending school regularly and there’s no consequences for this behaviour.
“The LNP will restore safety by returning discipline, consequences and supervision to the heart of government care and end the pipeline into crime to give every child the chance for a bright future.”
Shadow Minister for Child Protection, Amanda Camm said Labor had shown Child Safety reform was not a priority for the decade old Government after failing to act on the Residential Care Review they only commissioned after intense pressure from the LNP.
“The LNP is committed to providing the tools for a brighter future for all young people, no matter their background,” Ms Camm said.
“Shockingly, Labor admitted during Budget Estimates they don’t know when kids in their care go missing or how regularly they’re attending school.
“Child Safety should be an opportunity to provide kids the care and opportunities they need, engaging them with the education and skills to live productive lives in our communities, which is what the LNP will do.
“Only the LNP has the Right Plan for Queensland’s Future, which includes fixing the broken Child Safety system to prevent vulnerable kids heading down a path of crime.”
PeakCare’s Chief Executive Tom Allsop said the LNP’s commitment to reform the child protection system directly showed the LNP had listened and was acting on what frontline workers, children, and families say is needed to create a better system.
“PeakCare has long called for these commitments and the opportunities they will bring for reforming Queensland’s child protection system, today’s announcement is an important step,” Mr Allsop said.
“Time and time again frontline workers across Queensland have said having effective SecureCare services with appropriate safeguards will save lives.
“Investing in the frontline workers who turn up every day for children and families in need is how we are going to make a real difference now and in the future.
“It is how we are going to help keep more children safe and put more Queensland families back on a pathway to prosperity.
“At a time in Queensland when there are almost 2,000 children in residential care, of which a third are under 12 years, and alarming reductions in the capacity of foster carers right across the state, PeakCare calls on all parties to match these historic commitments and publicly announce what they intend to do to reform Queensland’s current child protection system.”