Queensland Family and Child Commission looks into child safety issues in light of NQ trip

An oversight body tasked to monitor the child protection system will look into whether there are persistent, systemic issues in light of a visit to Townsville.

AN investigation is underway to determine if there are “persistent, systemic issues,” within the child protection system.

A body tasked with the oversight of Queensland’s system was in Townsville this week in wake of shocking claims coming to air after weeks of dogged reporting by the Townsville Bulletin.

In the past five weeks the Bulletin has revealed the inner workings of the system tasked with the protection of the city’s most vulnerable children.

Whistleblowers entrenched in the system have revealed the following:

- children are being reunified with abusive parents by the department despite outcry from carers and health professionals

- carers are quitting at an alarming rate due to bullying and a lack of action by the department to address issues

- the department is not taking complaints reported to them seriously

- out of home care support agencies are being chastised for standing up to the department on behalf of their carers

- paediatricians and psychologists say the department is like a secret society

- the department is not putting the needs of children first

It was also revealed a significant number of young offenders creating havoc across the city are, or have been, involved in the Department of Children, with police sources telling the paper the heart of the problem lies within the department and how children are dealt with before they become involved in crime.

The Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC), which monitors the effectiveness of the system and advocates for safety and wellbeing of children, met with departmental staff, youth justice staff and members of the police on Thursday.

Newly-minted principal commissioner Luke Twyford said he would be looking deeper into the issues.

“Any report highlighting a child safety issue is a concern,” Mr Twyford said.

“The information I have access to regarding the systemic performance of the child protection system, combined with insights gathered through our ongoing work, will enable me to determine if there are persistent, systemic issues.”

Mr Twyford, who started in the role in January, said he was keen to meet with frontline workers to get a good grasp of what’s happening across the state.

“I visited Townsville this week to meet with staff from the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs and the Queensland Police Service I heard about the work of Townsville’s police, child protection, placement, carer support and program investment teams.”

His visit comes after the Department of Children announced some minor changes in the region to better communication between carers and staff, and create a more streamlined complaints process.

These changes included regular meet-ups between staff and carers, extra training for child safety officers, a video resource for new officers and a complaints hotline.

Mr Twyford said he saw some improvement.

“It was clear from my meetings that workers are putting more effort into co-ordinating the different services responsible for upholding the safety and wellbeing of children and the community.”

The QFCC also has a program of work to look at the drivers behind youth crime and the effectiveness of responses, aiming to identify better ways to prevent young people from engaging in youth crime in North Queensland.

Originally published as Queensland Family and Child Commission looks into child safety issues in light of NQ trip