Our commitments

The Commission is committed to ensuring the safety, wellbeing and cultural safety of children and young people. We will embed the Universal Principle and Child Safe Standards into our work. 

Our role in protecting and promoting children’s rights, including the right to be safe from all forms of harm, places a particular responsibility on us to be child safe and child-friendly in the way we work. The Commission commits to ensuring that: 

1. child safety and wellbeing are embedded in our leadership, governance and culture
2. children and young people are informed about their rights, are able to participate in decisions we make that affect them and that we take their views seriously
3. families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing
4. equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice
5. our people working with children and young people are suitably qualified and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice
6. our processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child-focused
7. our staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through ongoing education and training
8. our physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing and minimise the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed
9. our implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved
10. our policies and procedures document how we are safe for children and young people.

The Commission acknowledges that as a public sector organisation we have a unique role and obligation to reframe relationships and recognise, promote and respect the importance of self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Commission commits to:

• recognising and honouring Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Queensland
• engaging in truth-telling about the shared history of all Australians
• recognising the importance to Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples of the right to self-determination
• promoting cultural safety and cultural capability at all levels
• working in partnership with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples to actively promote, include and act in a way that aligns with their perspectives, in particular when making decisions directly affecting them
• ensuring the workforce and leadership of the Commission is reflective of the community we serve
• promoting a fair and inclusive workplace that supports a sense of dignity and belonging for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• supporting the aims, aspirations and employment needs of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the need for their greater involvement in the public sector.

Queensland is a human rights jurisdiction and the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019 affirms that families are the foundational unit of society, deserving of protection and support from both society and the state. In alignment with this principle, every child is entitled, without discrimination, to the protection necessary to ensure their wellbeing and best interests, recognising their inherent rights as children. 

The Child Protection Act 1999 ensures that children in care are entitled to protection, care and support that upholds their safety, wellbeing and best interests. Children in care have the right to maintain meaningful relationships with family and community, where safe and appropriate, and to be supported in their cultural and personal identity. The Act declares that every child in care must have their voice heard in decisions affecting them, ensuring their rights and needs are at the centre of all child protection practices. Parents are also supported to participate in decisions about the most appropriate interventions and their involvement in the child’s life and care.

The Commission is committed to leading a family and child rights agenda in Queensland and to assist others to integrate a rights approach. This approach recognises that all rights are underpinned by the following four key principles: 

1. devotion to the best interests of the child
2. the right to life, survival and development
3. respect for the views of the child
4. non-discrimination. 

We will continue to keep the rights of families and children at the centre of our approach, and we will work with organisations to do the same. To achieve this, we will support the development of a comprehensive framework for Queensland legislation, policy and programs to promote and protect the rights of children and young people

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international agreement on childhood. It includes 54 rights that every child is entitled to enjoy, regardless of their race, religion or abilities.

These rights are broad, touching almost every aspect of a child’s life, right from birth. Examples of child rights include the right to life, survival and development; the right to protection from violence abuse or neglect; the right to an education that meet their needs; the right to an upbringing or relationship with their parents; and the right to express their opinions and be listened to.

Children’s rights are at the core of everything we do.

We bring these rights to life by raising awareness of and advocating for the rights of children and young people in Queensland and holding governments accountable to upholding these rights. As a rights-based organisation, we do this by upholding the four core principals of the UNCRC:

• non-discrimination
• devotion to the best interests of the child
• the right to life, survival and development
• respect for the views of the child.