An innovative approach to child protection reform: Children's experiences driving change

Author's Name

Elizabeth Fraser

Presenter

Elizabeth Fraser

Organisation

Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Queensland
PO Box 12671 George Street
BRISBANE QLD 4003

Protecting children, including reform of the child protection system, has been identified as one of the seven priorities for the Queensland Government during this term. This focus has arisen primarily as a result of the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission's (CMC) 2004 report Protecting children: An inquiry into abuse of children in foster care which highlighted systemic problems with the Queensland child protection system and made 110 recommendations for improvements to legislation, policy and practices.

In response to the CMC inquiry, the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian's legislative mandate, roles and responsibilities have been expanded. The Commission now has a lead role in overseeing that the implementation of the child safety reforms in Queensland contribute to a better life for children and young people and in particular those who are most vulnerable.

This includes an increased role in monitoring and auditing the child safety system at both the individual client and systems levels to advocate for more responsive service provision.

At the individual level this includes the ability to: receive and investigate complaints about services provided to certain children; visit all children in out-of-home care including foster care to ensure that their rights, interests and wellbeing are being protected; and provide support to the Child Death Case Review Committee which reviews the deaths of all children known to the Department of Child Safety in the three years before their death. At the systems level, the Commission now has the power to monitor, audit and review the systems, policies and practices of the child safety department and other service providers that affect children in the child safety system.

This paper will outline the increased monitoring and auditing roles of the Commission at both the individual and systemic levels for children in the child safety system, and will highlight how the views of children and young people in the child safety system are fed into the reform process. The paper will report on the preliminary outcomes of this new monitoring and auditing system. It will highlight emerging policy and practice issues and trends, particularly from the perspective of children and young people.

Presentation

Paper

Biography

Elizabeth Fraser is the Commissioner for Children and Young People and Child Guardian in Queensland having commenced this role on 17 January 2005. Other career highlights include managing four major organisational change processes; implementing new service provision approaches to dealing with child and family issues; and leading central agency policy development and assessment processes. Elizabeth has 35 years experience in different states, working at all levels of government and non-government and in five countries. Her areas of specialty include child protection, family welfare, community development, policy and program development, review, and implementation, and organisational change and support. Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology, Bachelor of Social Work, Graduate Diploma in Multicultural Studies and a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.