Aimed at integrating vulnerable kids into the community, the policy helps families give their children a chance to take part in extracurricular activities such as sport. Photo: Queensland Department of Sport, Racing, Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Queensland Government is delivering on an election promise to open up extracurricular activities to foster and kinship carers, to boost their children’s sense of community.
More than 10,000 vulnerable children who live in family-based care arrangements have benefited from the system, which has delivered almost $8 million in payments to foster and kinship carers for extracurricular activities.
“This is about supporting vulnerable young children to be engaged in their community to ensure they remain on the right path,” Premier David Crisafulli said.
“These payments deliver targeted cost-of-living relief for carers and deliver a sense of community and belonging for vulnerable children.”
Payments cover the cost of a range of programs, such as sport, clubs, school tutoring, on-Country schemes, camps and community activities. These programs build the children’s skills and sense of connectedness with the broader community.
“Playing a sport or being involved in a club or group is extremely important for children to have a sense of belonging to their community and forming relationships with other kids,” Minister for Child Safety Amanda Camm said.
“These payments help take the financial pressure off foster and kinship carers and ensure vulnerable children who may not have had access to these activities in the past have the same opportunity as other Queensland kids.”
In the same statement from the Queensland leadership, the government said it was restoring safety with a $70.1 million investment over three years to help prevent crime by engaging at-risk and vulnerable children, supporting them and integrating them with their communities.
A second payment will be made to struggling families in January for further cost-of-living relief.
A $383 million program named the Safer Children, Safer Communities plan seeks to repair what the LNP Government has characterised as a broken child safety system, with $50 million for a SecureCare facility for young people in out-of-home care who may be a danger to themselves and the community.
“We are rebuilding Labor’s broken child safety system by delivering support for vulnerable children and foster and kinship carers, which will help restore community safety across Queensland,” Mr Crisafulli said.
The frontline child protection workforce is also receiving a 20 per cent boost from the government in an effort to better support youngsters in care.
