The latest Queensland quarterly child safety data, covering the 12 months to 31 March, reveal that demand for family support and child protection services continues to rise.
Minister for Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs, Leanne Linard said in spite of this, there had been some recent key improvements.
“The number of investigations commenced by Child Safety in the last year is up by seven per cent to 26,035, which is 1,771 more commenced investigations when compared to the same period last year,” Ms Linard said.
“The number of investigations which began on time is also up to 13,896, or 53 per cent, an increase of almost 30 per cent when compared to the previous year.”
She said that 95 per cent of investigations in the most critical cases, “our 24-hour cases”, had begun on time.
Ms Linard said the Government was dedicated to protecting children and young people who had been harmed or were at risk of harm.
“The number of children in care in Queensland continued to rise to 10,929 as at 31 March, compared to 10,190 in the previous year,” she said.
“I thank all 5,785 Queenslanders who provide care for these children when they are unable to stay at home safely, especially the 1,689 first-time carers that joined in the last year.”
Ms Linard said Queensland’s child protection system was continuing to work, with families experiencing multiple risks, which in turn was increasing demand for services.
“There’s no doubt parents coming into contact with the child safety system are dealing with a multitude of risk factors, including domestic and family violence, drug and alcohol issues, mental illness, criminal histories and child abuse,” she said.
“Three out of every four households had more than one of these risk factors, adding to already complex and difficult home circumstances which are being further exacerbated by COVID,” Ms Linard said.