Qld govt eyes NGO role in child protection

Queensland will look to non-government organisations to rescue the state's child protection system. Source: AAP

THE number of Queensland children in out-of-home care will increase by 40 per cent in the next decade if the Queensland government doesn't act.

The government has adopted most of the recommendations from the Carmody commission of inquiry, which found the system was under significant stress.

It has committed to focus on more early intervention strategies and will turn to the non-government sector to help prevent children from entering the child protection system.

In severe cases, toddlers will be routinely considered for adoption to give them a better chance of bonding with new families.

Extremely troubled teenagers would as a last resort be placed in institutions and boarding schools will become official carers.

The mandatory reporting of domestic violence incidents in homes where children are present will end, because it's putting too much pressure on the system.

The government will still respond to the most serious cases of maltreatment but there will be new strategies to deal with lower-level situations.

Overworked frontline staff will be relieved of some of their workloads and non-government organisations could play an expanded role in case management and casework.

The Carmody inquiry pointed to a system struggling under the weight of its workload, with the number of children in out-of-home care doubling over the past decade and the length of stays increasing.

There are currently 8,600 Queensland children in out-of-home care - more than the state's adult prison population - costing the state $820 million each year.

Child Safety Minister Tracy Davis says if action wasn't taken, in a decade that number could rise by 40 per cent to 12,000 children, and cost $1.5 billion a year.

"It's about moving away from statutory responses to community based responses," she said.

"Parents still love their children, but some don't have the skills to keep them safe at home."

Foster Care Qld's Bryan Smith says carers would welcome extra support from NGO providers and the opposition says the government's response must be backed by adequate resources.

Since taking office, the LNP has sacked 385 people in the Department of Communities and slashed departmental funding to non-government organisations by $65 million a year, Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mulherin says.

"The LNP's track record of cuts to frontline services and cuts to frontline community groups cannot be allowed to be repeated when it comes to looking after vulnerable children," he said.

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