Children under the age of five will be removed from residential care in Queensland as part of sweeping reforms designed to keep Australia's most vulnerable children safer. The government has committed to ensuring that the youngest children receive family-based care rather than institutional placements.
The reforms follow a damning report that exposed systemic failings in Queensland's child safety system. Statistics revealed that response times to investigate reports of vulnerable children have plummeted since the rollout of a bungled IT system called Unify last year.
The opposition has called for the Child Safety Minister to resign over the failings, claiming the minister's focus has been elsewhere. The minister has rejected those calls, stating she is 100 percent committed to fixing the child safety system as tasked by the Premier.
Key reforms include increased supports to meet each child's needs, including healthcare, disability support, and entitlements for foster carers. The government has already launched a professional foster care pilot program and increased financial support for carers.
The reforms aim to ensure that children accessing extracurricular activities and receiving proper developmental support are priorities. Advocates have welcomed the commitment to anything that improves the safety and wellbeing of the most vulnerable children.
The minister has also been referred to the corruption watchdog over conflict of interest declarations in her relationship with a backbencher, adding another layer of political pressure to the reform process.
Child safety experts say the removal of very young children from residential care is a critical step, as research consistently shows that family-based placements produce better outcomes for child development and wellbeing than institutional settings.