- 2023-24 Budget boost allows 123 additional child safety frontline staff to be employed at an estimated cost of $11.4m in next financial year
- It also includes an extra $167.2m over four years and $20m in ongoing funding from 2027-28 to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system
- $48.5m over three years from 2024-25 and $16.2m ongoing from 2027-28, alongside additional funding, for the delivery of early intervention services through Family and Child Connect
- $25.2m over 4 years and $6.5m ongoing from 2027-28 to support targets to increase the number of children in kinship care and decrease the number of children in residential care
A record child safety budget in 2023-24 will see 123 new child safety officers and support staff employed on the frontline to help Queensland’s most vulnerable children and families. The extra positions, at an estimated cost of $11.4m in the next financial year, will help continue to drive down caseloads, with priority given to locations with high workloads. The record budget of $2.14 billion – the first time the child safety budget has topped $2 billion – will focus on extra staff and investments to further address the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children known to child protection. It includes $167.2m over four years and $20m in ongoing funding from 2027-28 for activities and reforms to reduce this over-representation, including funding for Delegated Authority, Family Wellbeing Services and the Our Way Strategy. From this, $26.6m over four years and $10.3m ongoing, with a further $1.5 million per annum to be sourced internally, will be invested to expand Family Wellbeing Services to better support our most vulnerable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations will be given a boost with $107.8m over four years to expand the delegation of statutory authority for First Nations children in the child protection system. This means they will be able to make decisions regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children known to child protection, ensuring they grow up in culture and connected to community. The Family Participation Program will also be expanded with funding of $22.5m over four years and $9.7m in ongoing funds. Early intervention services will be extended, with Family and Child Connect services receiving $48.5m over three years from 2024-25 and $16.2m ongoing from 2027-28., with a further $17.1m over three years from 2045-25 and $5.8m per annum ongoing internally sourced.
Quotes attributable to Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick:
“Extra staff on the frontline means staff can spend the time they need with the children and families they work with – getting them the right support at the right time.
“It is also fantastic to see a record investment to address the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families known to child protection.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Child Safety Craig Crawford:
“We know most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Queensland live safely at home with family, but we also know they are still disproportionately represented in the child protection system.
“That’s unacceptable and that’s why we are investing in prevention and early intervention to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and disadvantage.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are best placed to make decisions, design and deliver services that meet the needs of their children, families and communities, and that’s what we are working towards by expanding Delegated Authority and Family Wellbeing Services across the state.”
