A major inquiry into Queensland’s child safety system has called for sweeping reforms, warning the current framework continues to fail vulnerable children despite decades of reviews and investigations.
The $20 million commission of inquiry, led by Commissioner Paul Anastassiou, handed down 52 recommendations aimed at overhauling the state’s child protection and residential care systems.
The report described the roughly 13,500 children in Queensland state care as a “measure of failure”, with Commissioner Anastassiou writing that the system “continues to fail children and the community in serious respects.”
Among the recommendations are reforms to the $1 billion residential care sector, consideration of state-run care services, and changes to adoption laws, including removing the requirement that adoption be treated as a last resort for First Nations children.
The inquiry also found around two-thirds of reported sexual abuse incidents involving children in care occurred within residential care settings.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the recommendations involved “serious reforms” across multiple government departments, while Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm said she wanted to end the placement of children under five in residential care.
The report’s release quickly sparked political debate, with the Labor opposition criticising the government over the troubled rollout of the Unify IT system and calling for stronger leadership of the reform process.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
