Minister says child safety has 'stabilised' despite drop in urgent cases seen on time

Queensland's child safety department has released quarterly performance data to June this year. The government has spruiked a decrease in the number of kids in residential care, but the Opposition has drawn attention to response times. What's next? Queensland parliament is expected to pass a bill this week that would establish a centralised child protection commission. Nine in ten children in urgent need of state care were not helped on time in the past four months, according to new child safety figures. Quarterly performance data showed at risk children that needed to be assessed within three days had not been seen-to within that timeframe. Minister Camm said the department had experienced more notifications. "That is putting demand on our frontline staff," she said. "We want people to notify if there is a child at risk of harm. We want to encourage that." That number has moved backward from a year ago, when nearly three quarters of children requiring assessment within three days were not seen on time. Opposition leader Steven Miles said responding to at risk children should be the government's focus. "These are children that are already traumatised. Imagine what this must feel like for them," he said. "The minister shouldn't be excited, she should be ashamed." Residential care system has 'stabilised' In her first week back after six weeks of medical leave, Queensland Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm spruiked the quarterly reporting. The number of children placed in residential care had decreased over the last three months to 2,804 children, 15 fewer kids than in the last reporting period. "Residential care was established to be the care of last resort. For the first time, the numbers have decreased. Small, but they have stabilised," Minister Camm said. There was a slight uptick in the number of children in foster care and kinship care. Minister Camm said the government would continue to reform the system and recruit more carers. "While we acknowledge it is a modest movement, it is recognition that we have stabilised the system," she said. Government promises further change on the way Queensland parliament is set to pass a bill this week that would establish a centralised agency aimed at improving the protection of children from sexual abuse. The bill, expected to pass parliament this week, would establish the Child Protection Commission, bringing together different agencies responsible for child safety matters under one banner. Queensland Family and Child Commission Chief Executive Luke Twyford said he welcomed the changes. "[It] will change my current role and I'm happy about that because having sat with the victims, the parents, the police officers, the councillors, the current system is clearly not okay," he said.