Table notes refers to footnotes relating to changes or breaks in time series reporting, and only where the break has affected the total number of children/instances being counted.
Table of contents:
Intake
See table notes for child concern reports and notifications.
Child concern reports
March 2005 — Recording of child concern reports commences. Previously, protective advice responses were recorded as a notification or in a separate category called protective advice.
Impact on performance figures: Changed (reduced) the scope of matters that could result in the recording of a notification.
June 2011 - Regional Intake Services (RIS) were established, centralising recording of child concern reports for each region.
Impact on performance figures: Child concern reports can only be reported at a regional and state level. Data for service centres are no longer available.
View the child concern report data.
Notifications
September 2004 — Legislative amendments enabling the investigation of reports relating to unborn children come into effect.
Impact on performance figures: Increased the scope of matters that could result in the recording of a notification.
March 2005 — All notifications recorded by the department now require an investigation to be undertaken.
Impact on performance figures: Nil impact.
March 2007 — Introduction of the Integrated Client Management System. Any new child protection concerns received by the department that relate to an open notification or investigation and assessment are recorded as an additional concern and linked to the open notification/investigation and assessment. Previously, any new child protection concerns received by the department were recorded as an additional notification.
Impact on performance figures: Changed (reduced) the scope of matters that could result in the recording of a notification.
July 2007 onwards - Matter of concern notifications are now reported separately in recognition of the fact that they relate to children who are living away from home in the custody or guardianship of the Chief Executive.
Impact on performance figures: Changed (reduced) the scope of matters that could result in the recording of a notification.
June 2011 - Regional Intake Services (RIS) were established, centralising recording of notifications for each region.
Impact on performance figures: Notifications can only be reported at a regional and state level. Data for service centres are no longer available.
View the notifications data.
Substantiations
September 2004 — Legislative amendments enabling the investigation of reports relating to unborn children come into effect.
Impact on performance figures: Increased the scope of matters that could result in the recording of a notification and subsequent substantiation.
July 2007 onwards — Matter of concern notifications that result in a substantiation are now reported separately in recognition of the fact that they relate to children who are living away from home in the custody or guardianship of the Chief Executive.
Impact on performance figures: Changed (reduced) the scope of matters that could result in the recording of a notification and subsequent substantiation.
View the substantiations data.
Protective orders
Includes children subject to a finalised or interim child protection order or court assessment order, as at the last day of the reference period. If a child is subject to more than one type of order they are counted only once.
View the protective orders data.
Child protection orders
Includes children subject to a finalised or interim child protection order, as at the last day of the reference period. If a child is subject to more than one type of order they are counted only once.
View the child protection orders data.
Ongoing intervention
See table notes for intervention with parental agreement and child protection orders.
Intervention with parental agreement
Prior to June 2011 reporting, an audit and cleansing of intervention with parental agreement records in the Integrated Client Management System (ICMS) took place. This included closing down historical records where a child was no longer subject to intervention with parental agreement.
Impact on performance figures: Decreased the number of children recorded as being subject to intervention with parental agreement.
View the intervention with parental agreement data.
Short-term child protection orders
Includes children subject to a short-term finalised or interim child protection order, as at the last day of the reference period. This includes:
- orders granting short-term custody/guardianship to the Chief Executive or a relative/kin
- supervision orders
- and directive orders.
If a child is subject to more than one type of order they are counted only once.
View the short-term child protection orders data.
Long-term child protection orders
Includes children subject to a long-term child protection order, as at the last day of the reference period. This includes orders granting long-term guardianship to the Chief Executive, a relative/kin, or other suitable person. If a child is subject to more than one type of order they are counted only once.
View the long-term child protection orders data.
Living away from home
Counts the number of individual children living away from home as at the last day of the reference period.
Previously, figures included children placed with approved foster carers, kinship carers, provisionally approved carers and residential care services only. From July 2006, figures also include hospitals, Queensland youth detention centres, independent living and all other locations. Reporting this way provides a more complete picture of the number of children living away from home with whom the department has contact.
View the living away from home data.
Out-of-home care
In accordance with nationally agreed upon reporting definitions out-of-home care counts the number of individual children placed in approved foster care, provisionally approved care, kinship care or a residential care service as at the last day of the reference period.
Impact on performance figures: Increased the number of children recorded as being in a residential placement.
June 2006 onwards — Residential care services include children in Transitional Placement-funded placements. Before June 2006, figures only included a limited range of residential care services.
View the out-of-home care data.
Carers
Includes approved foster, kinship and provisionally approved carer families. Carer families are counted once only based on an approval hierarchy of foster, provisional, kinship. Approved kinship and provisionally approved carer families are counted only if they have an open placement event with approval to care for the child.
May 2006 onwards — All carers were brought under the same regulatory framework as foster carers. Under the framework all kinship carers are now subject to the same level of suitability screening and the same obligations to provide care that meets the Standards of Care as foster carers.
Impact on performance figures: Increased the number of approved carers - in particular, kinship carers, recorded on the system.
From 31 August 2009, enhancements to the Integrated Client Management System (ICMS) took place, including an audit and cleansing of carer records. This included closing down those records where a carer was no longer caring for a child, or the approval was no longer valid. As a result, carer families data reported for 30 September 2009 and onwards are not comparable to previous years.
Impact on performance figures: If the enhancements to ICMS had not occurred, it is estimated the number of carer families would have increased over 30 June 2009 levels by approximately 70 carer families per quarter. For example, as at 30 September 2009 the number of carer families would have been approximately 4,150.
View the carer families data.
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