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The report by the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry will be provided to the
Premier by 30 June 2013. PeakCare is interested to hear what you expect from the Inquiry report and recommendations, the issues you believe must be addressed and how, and recommendations which you believe would be intolerable if included in the 10 year road map for Queensland’s child protection system. You may choose to enter comments to some or all of the questions below.
Of all the areas examined during the Inquiry, in your view, what are the three most critical areas that you hope will be covered in the recommendations? And what should be the substance of the recommendation?
Subject of the recommendation Substance of the recommendation
1.
2.
3.
Of the areas canvassed by the Inquiry, what are three areas, issues or directions about which you would have significant reservations, and why?
Possible recommendations about which you would have reservations
1.
The basis for your concerns
2.
3.
The Terms of Reference for the Commission of Inquiry state that recommendations should address the following four areas. PeakCare is interested to hear what you expect will happen and/ or what you hope will happen, and why that would deliver improved outcomes for children, young people and families.
The dot-points listed on the following page are taken from the areas identified within the Terms of
Reference as subject to full and careful inquiry in an open and independent manner.

1.
Reforms to ensure the child protection system achieves the best possible outcomes to protect children and young people and support families

Adequacy and efficiency in the use of available financial resources across the child protection system

Responses by the Queensland Government to children and families in the child protection system and the appropriateness of the level of, and support for, frontline staff

Tertiary child protection interventions

Case management of children and young people

Service standards

Decision making frameworks

Children and young people’s transitions through the child protection system and to independence
2.
Strategies to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people at all stages of the child protection system, particularly out of home care
3.
Legislative reforms

Review of the Child Protection Act 1999 and Child Protection Regulation 2011

Review of the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000 (eg. provisions relating to working with children checks, community visitor program)
4.
Reforms to improve the current oversight, monitoring and complaints mechanisms

Child protection court processes

Tribunal processes

Effectiveness of monitoring, investigation, oversight and complaint mechanisms for the child protection system, and ways to improve oversight of and public confidence in the child protection system
What, if any, reforms are you hoping will be recommended by the Inquiry to ensure the child protection system achieves the best possible outcomes to protect children and young people and support families issues? (You may wish to consider the dot-points listed above.)
What, if any, strategies are you hoping will be recommended by the Inquiry to reduce the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people at all stages of the child protection system, particularly out of home care?

What, if any, legislative reforms are you hoping will be recommended by the Inquiry?
What, if any, reforms to improve current oversight, monitoring and complaints mechanisms will be recommended by the Inquiry?
What, if any, issues do you think remain outstanding from the implementation of the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland
Institutions (Forde Inquiry)?
What, if any, issues do you think remain outstanding from the implementation of the recommendations from the Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into Abuse of Children in
Foster Care?

What recommendations do you expect in respect of the adequacy and appropriateness of and actions taken by the Queensland Government into historic child sexual abuse in youth detention centres (i.e. ‘Heiner affair’)?
What, if any, issues deserved more (publically reported) attention by the Commission of Inquiry?
A focus of the Inquiry has been on the adequacy or otherwise in respect of the implementation of the recommendations from the Forde and the Crime and Misconduct Commission inquiries.
What mechanisms, timeframes and/ or framework do you think should be established to:
1) develop responses to the recommendations made by the Inquiry
2) monitor the implementation of responses by Queensland Government agencies and funded services to the recommendations, and
3) monitor improvements in outcomes for children, young people and families as a result of the
implementation of the Inquiry’s recommendations?
Your name, position title and organisation
(Optional)
Your contact details (Optional)
Do the opinions expressed represent your personal views or the views of your organisation (i.e. have you been properly authorised to express these opinions on behalf of your organisation?)
Please email to tsmith@peakcare.org.au
or send by fax: 07 3368 1160