In 2023 it became increasingly clear that this was not being achieved for all children in residential care in Queensland.
In July 2023, the Child Safety Minister announced the Department would undertake a review of the residential care system. In the review’s Terms of Reference the Commission was asked to “provide strategic and independent oversight and advice to the Review”. To perform this role, the Principal Commissioner followed Department staff to numerous sites across Queensland, held engagement sessions with departmental workers, sector workers and young people to identify the key issues impacting the quality of residential care in their experience.
Overall, the standard of residential care homes visited was inconsistent, and hardly ever congruent with the desire of the staff at the location to provide care to the children and young people ‘placed’ there.
The release of the Roadmap for Residential Care in Queensland starts the difficult process of implementation and delivering on the commitments made.