Graphs
Number of children subject to a matter of concern, by Indigenous status, Queensland, 2010-11
| Matter of concern | Indigenous | Non-Indigenous |
|---|---|---|
| CPCR | 217 | 312 |
| MOC Notification | 301 | 388 |
| MOC Substantiation | 90 | 100 |
Tables
| Description | Annual | Quarterly |
|---|---|---|
| MOC.1: Matters of concern, by Indigenous status, Queensland | Excel | Excel |
| MOC.2: Matters of concern, by sex, Queensland | Excel | Excel |
| MOC.3: Matters of concern, by age group, Queensland | Excel | Excel |
| MOC.4: Children subject to substantiated matters of concern, by most serious harm type, Queensland | Excel | Excel |
| MOC.5: Proportion of children in out-of-home care who were subject to a matter of concern substantiation, Queensland | Excel | Excel |
What is a matter of concern?
A matter of concern is any concern raised in relation to the care of a child in an out-of-home care placement in the custody or guardianship of the chief executive and placed in accordance with Section 82(1) of the Child Protection Act 1999, where a breach of the standards of care is indicated.
An alleged breach to a standard of care is recorded as either a:
- Child Placement Concern Report - when there has been inadequate or poor quality care of a child in out-of-home care that fails to meet the standards of care, but does not meet the threshold for a notification.
- Notification - where the information received meets the legislative threshold of harm.
All matters of concern responded to by way of notification are investigated and assessed. The investigation must commence within 24 hours.
With the introduction of the ICMS in March 2007, the department is now able to report on matters of concern and their outcomes, including:
- child placement concern reports
- matter of concern notifications
- matter of concern substantiations.
Why this topic is important
The protection of children and young people from harm is a key priority for the department. The release in January 2004 of the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) report Protecting children: an inquiry into abuse of children in foster care was a significant milestone in Queensland's child protection system. The CMC inquiry identified systemic failures in the system, including actions not being undertaken to prevent children placed in foster care from further abuse or neglect. Since that time, sweeping reforms to the child protection system have been undertaken, including implementation of all of the 110 CMC recommendations.
Regular monitoring and reporting on the safety and wellbeing of children in out-of-home care is critical to ensure that children remain safe and that any issues are quickly resolved.
Trends
In 2010-11, the department recorded 1,319 matters of concern. This included 564 child placement concern reports (relating to 529 children) and 755 matter of concern notifications (relating to 689 children). Of these notifications, 207 matter of concern substantiations were recorded (relating to 194 children).
By harm type, emotional harm remained the most frequent substantiated harm type. One hundred and twenty-one children (62.4 per cent) were the subject of a matter of concern substantiation for emotional harm, 35 children (18.0 per cent) for neglect, 25 children (12.9 per cent) for physical harm and 13 children (6.7 per cent) for sexual abuse.
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