This report summarises our findings from a review into how the system meets the protection and care needs of children on Intervention with Parental Agreements (IPA). It does not identify individuals.
The review highlights challenges for meeting the needs of vulnerable children and their families when there are complex family support needs, compounded by parental ice use. It raised concerns about case plans not always being developed quickly enough to guide IPA, know when it is safe to close the intervention and to hold parents to account during the IPA. Keeping families engaged with support services and sharing information across the system to keep children safe continues to be a challenge. The report raises opportunities to strengthen this between Child Safety and Queensland Health. The negative impact of assumptions made by agencies about the motivations of a reporter meant concerns were not always taken as seriously as required.
The review report made three recommendations for government consideration.
We have completed Recommendation 2 - to conduct a review into the safety of children on IPA. Read our Keeping children in focus review.