LNP’s multimillion-dollar promise to reform entire system

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has outlined his plan to overhaul Queensland’s child protection system, as he named two things he believed were currently missing and made an ambitious promise.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli outlined the plan on Monday. Picture: Richard Walker

Hundreds more child safety officers will be recruited, a new safe house built, and a new “professional” foster carer program trialled under the LNP’s multimillion-dollar promise to reform the child protection system.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has also promised Queensland’s cohort of children in residential care — the largest in the nation — would not grow any further should the LNP take government after next month’s election.

“At the heart of this (plan) is discipline and education, two things that have been missing,” he said.

“There’s also a hell of a lot of compassion and a plan to do something about the broken systems of child safety and residential care in Queensland.”

The plan includes boosting the number of child safety officers by 20 per cent, above attrition, by the end of its first term in government at a cost of $69.75m.

Tom Allsop from PeakCare Queensland on Monday. Picture: Richard Walker

There will also be two carers on roster at every residential care facility all day every day, up from the current one, by 2030, with the measure to cost $171.59m.

Opposition child safety spokeswoman Amanda Camm said the residential care system was in desperate need of reform, and the LNP’s plan was about ensuring every worker was safe and every child supported.

An LNP government would also spend $50m building a new “Secure Care” facility by 2028, designed to house a dozen children deemed by a court to require intensive wraparound therapeutic care.

These children, mainly aged 12 to 17, would be those experiencing serious self-harm risks, excessive drug and alcohol use and high-risk criminal behaviour.

Shadow Minister for Child Protection Amanda Camm speaking at Monday’s announcement. Picture: Richard Walker

In its first term of government the LNP would also trial a new “professional foster care” model, where 100 trained carers with qualifications or extensive experience would be paid a salary on top of normal allowances so they could dedicate their efforts to caring for children with complex needs.

These carers would only care for one child at a time, except where there are sibling groups. Those children would be those whose needs aren’t being met in residential care.

The LNP would also spend $63.5m to boost the annual allowance for children in out of home care by $1500, with the cash to be used on extracurriculars like sport, music or tutoring.

Child Safety Minister Charis Mullen said the LNP’s proposal was “underfunded, undercooked and underwhelming”.

“The Miles Government already has a fully-funded $500 million Putting Queensland Kids First Plan firmly aimed at stopping small problems becoming big ones,” she said.

“And we’ve increased full-time Child Safety Officer positions by nearly 60 per cent to 1403 officers, with funding locked in for another 65 front line and support staff in child safety.”

Nearly 12,000 Queensland children are in out-of-home are, with about 2000 living in residential care—a staggering 85 per cent increase in five years.