Queensland Government boosts child safety and foster care funding

FRONTLINE child safety staff will be given more support to focus on investigating incidents of harm like that of Caboolture toddler Mason Lee.

Minister for Child Safety Shannon Fentiman announces extra funds for foster and kinship carers. Picture: Mark Cranitch

MORE than $4 million in funding to better support foster and kinship carers has been fast-tracked by the State Government.

The $4.25 million in extra funding will go to community and non-government organisations to take over the remainder of foster care support and training services. The sector currently provides about 75 per cent of those services.

Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman said the move would allow frontline staff to focus on investigating incidents of harm.

“This will free up hardworking child safety officers so they can focus on priority tasks such as case management, investigations and assessments, and delivering support to families earlier,” she said.

The move was a recommendation of the Queensland Child Protection Commission.

Ms Fentiman said the department’s investigation into the death of Caboolture toddler Mason Jet Lee was ongoing but committed to implementing the outcomes of the internal review.

“We have set up an expert, independent panel that will look at every aspect of this case, that’s under way,” she said.

“They will make findings and recommendations back to government and I am committed to implementing each of these recommendations to make sure we don’t see this happen again.”

Three people have been charged over Mason’s death.

The toddler died in June after sustaining serious head and internal injuries, likely over many months.

Shadow Child Safety Minister Ros Bates said the extra funding should have been delivered earlier.

“Now we need to see the Minister tackle the issue of investigation backlogs that continue to blow out under her watch,” she said.

Ms Fentiman said the extra funding for foster care support services had been budgeted by the former LNP government to start next financial year, but her decision to bring it forward would make it available now.

Foster Care Queensland executive director Bryan Smith said extra funding to provide specialist support and training was crucial.

“Without these volunteer families the child protection system would simply collapse,” she said.

“Foster Care Queensland strongly supports and welcomes the decision to bring forward the transfer of the remainder of foster and kinship care support to NGOs.”