PeakCare Queensland

PeakCare’s state election platform recognises workforce is currently the most significant opportunity across all sectors in Queensland. A strong, supported workforce is essential to meeting Queensland’s future needs. By addressing workforce challenges, providing necessary training, and improving job satisfaction, Queensland can attract, train and retain a skilled, dedicated and sustainable workforce across the care sector. A key opportunity to develop a suite of latest evidence-based training materials is represented by the Safe and Sound in Queensland toolkit recently produced by PeakCare in partnership with Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) and Project Paradigm Australia. It is the first of its kind in Queensland, providing evidence-based best practice guidelines for workers addressing risks related to CSE experienced by children who go missing from care. The provision of this training to child safety officers, school guidance officers and teachers, and outside-hours staff would contribute meaningfully to reducing risks of harm for young people who go missing from care.   There are also examples of effective interstate training programs directly benefiting young care leavers, such as the Victoria’s Raising Expectations program, which builds the capacity and confidence of students, aids VET and higher education workers in providing tailored support and strengthens transitions to post-secondary education. The anticipated outcome is productive young people equipped with the skills and experience to contribute meaningfully to the state’s economy in the long term.   The evidence is clear – investment in a sustainable workforce across the care sector is vital for Queensland’s future prosperity.   We call on political parties in Queensland to:   👍 Invest in PeakCare to develop and deliver workshop facilitation for Extended Post Care support (EPCS) training 👍  Expand the Hope & Healing Framework training to kin carers 👍 Develop Safe & Sound as a Hope & Healing Masterclass 👍 Fund the 10 opportunities identified in PeakCare’s Queensland Foster Carer Demographic Insights Report 2024 to strengthen foster care in Queensland 👍  Develop a pilot program for Queensland based on Raising Expectations View our election commitments 👉 https://lnkd.in/gy3REhMe The time is now – we call on all political parties to commit to our election priorities to establish hope for the children and families who need it most, and realise manifold economic benefits into the long term. Together, we can protect Queensland’s future prosperity.   PeakCare Queensland Steven Miles David Crisafulli MP Michael Berkman Robbie Katter MP Charis Mullen MP Amanda Camm MP Di Farmer  Laura Gerber MP Tom Allsop Jennifer Inoue Kate Bjur Gayle Walters Gavin Deeprose Julie Ling #queensland #state #election #platform #priorities #workforce #training #education #investment #hopeandhealing #safeandsound #evidence #peakcare #children #families #communities #advocacy #yourpeak

Every child and family deserves equal access to high quality early education and care. Today's release of the Productivity Commission's final report on the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector shows that this access is not always available. PeakCare CEO Tom Allsop spoke to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio Brisbane this afternoon on key recommendations from the report and implications for families.   Cost and availability continue to be barriers to accessing ECEC. PeakCare is pleased to see that the report's recommendations focus on equity, directing support to low-income families where the need is greatest and ensuring the needs of those experiencing the highest levels of disadvantage - and, importantly, the children in those families who stand to benefit most from high quality ECEC - are prioritised. We strongly support the report's recommendations to remove the activity test and fully subsidise childcare for families earning under $80,000, which would significantly support meaningful workforce participation in particular for women.   While ECEC must be made accessible, PeakCare also acknowledges the critical importance of a sustainable workforce - recognised as the single most significant challenge across all sectors - to deliver this essential service now and into the future. The Mitchell Institute reports that over one million Australians live in regional and remote areas where there is no childcare available at all - areas referred to as childcare deserts - which suggests Australia does not currently have the service infrastructure available to provide every family and child with equal opportunity. All sides of politics must ensure that this infrastructure, including the attraction, training and retention of an uplifted workforce in every region, is built to protect our national future prosperity. PeakCare looks forward to hearing the Federal Government's response to these recommendations in the coming months. Anthony Albanese Jason Clare MP Steven Miles Di Farmer PeakCare Queensland Tom Allsop Gayle Walters #queensland #child #protection #ecec #early #childhood #education #care #families #communities #productivity #commission #report #research #evidence #childcare #desert #accessibility #infrastructure #services #workforce #children #futures

Every young person deserves safe, stable and accessible housing as a foundation for a pathway to prosperity. We know that in the formative years of childhood, adverse experiences such as poverty, domestic and family violence and homelessness can significantly impact a child’s opportunities, and that lack of material safety can represent a significant challenge to a young person’s hopes and aspirations.   Last week, PeakCare CEO Tom Allsop spoke to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Capricornia on our election platform on youth homelessness in Queensland following a call by state peak bodies, including PeakCare Queensland, Q Shelter, Open Doors Youth Service Inc. 🏳️🌈, Brisbane Youth Service, Footprints Community, YFS Ltd and Mission Australia, to prioritise system and service integration to prevent young people from exiting care into homelessness.   This week, PeakCare commenced our state election platform call in the weeks leading up to governmental caretaker mode.   A key cornerstone to our election priorities is for all political parties to commit to developing a Housing First approach to underscore access to essential services. Ensuring safe, secure, and stable housing for young people and families is a means to intervene early and break the cycle of disadvantage before it starts. Investing in initiatives to break down structural barriers to accessing services will help protect children from long term negative outcomes, and will in turn generate net lifetime savings to government by reducing expenditure on welfare and support services into the future.   Evidence shows that specialist youth homelessness services can for example create tangible taxation uplifts, welfare, housing, justice and health savings, and generate net lifetime benefits for each young person helped onto a pathway to prosperity by reducing the need to respond to impacts of homelessness. Recent research from UQ shows that in the Queensland context, this can result in potential savings of over $13,000 per young person per year.   The evidence is clear – Housing First when delivering services to Queensland’s children and families.   We call on all political parties in Queensland to commit to tangible targets to house young people, underscored by a Housing First approach that establishes safe, stable and accessible housing as the foundation of hope for young people and families who need it most.   View our election commitments 👉 https://lnkd.in/gy3REhMe Read The Courier Mail article (paywall) 👉 https://lnkd.in/gxmb7S5a PeakCare Queensland Steven Miles David Crisafulli MP #MichaelBerkmanMP #RobbieKatterMP Charis Mullen MP Amanda Camm Di Farmer #LauraGerberMP #MeganScanlonMP #TimManderMP Tom Allsop Kate Bjur Gayle Walters Murray Benton Jackson Hills Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) #queensland #child #protection #youth #homelessness #evidence #election #platform #peakcare #advocacy #yourpeak

Every child, family and community in Queensland deserves a sense of safety, stability and wellbeing and a commitment to ensure access to sustainable pathways to prosperity. PeakCare’s state election platform for Queensland’s children, families and communities and the child and family welfare sector that supports them, is calling for eight priorities to protect Queensland’s future. A key theme of our calls is targeted investment in effective prevention, early intervention, and diversionary programs. The evidence shows that, for example, positive early education experiences in the first 2000 days of life provide the best start, supporting children’s rights to learning and engagement, and equipping them with lifelong skills. The evidence also shows that investing in early childhood intervention programs produces a return on investment of $13 for every $1.   Our call for a Housing First approach to underscore access to essential services is also a critical preventative measure. Ensuring safe, secure, and stable housing for children and families breaks the cycle of disadvantage before it starts. Investing in initiatives to break down structural barriers to accessing services helps to protect children from long term negative outcomes, and will in turn generate net lifetime savings to government by reducing expenditure on welfare and support services into the future. We recognise that there are evaluated programs delivering real benefits for children and families, such as Hope 4 Life, which works directly with young people 8-13 years of age at risk of engaging with the youth justice system to reduce impacts adverse childhood experiences by instilling hope in the young person’s future.   The evidence is clear – effective prevention, early intervention, and diversionary programs are a smart investment.   We call on political parties in Queensland to:   👍 Expand Free Kindy for all 4 year olds to 30 hrs a week   👍 Commit to “suspension as a last resort” in schools 👍  Develop a policy for housing unaccompanied 12-15 yr old young people  👍  Fund additional therapeutic housing models for young people such as “Rainbow Houses”  👍  Set targets to deliver social and affordable housing options for young people  👍  Expand delivery of Hope 4 Life Program in five locations across Queensland View our election commitments 👉 https://lnkd.in/gy3REhMe The time is now – we call on all political parties to commit to our election priorities to establish hope for the children and families who need it most, and realise manifold economic benefits into the long term. Together, we can protect Queensland’s future prosperity. PeakCare Queensland Steven Miles #DavidCrisafulliMP #MichaelBerkman #RobbieKatterMP Charis Mullen MP #AmandaCammMP Di Farmer #LauraGerberMP #MeganScanlonMP #TimManderMP Tom Allsop Kate Bjur Gayle Walters Q Shelter Murray Benton Jackson Hills Open Doors Youth Service Inc. 🏳️🌈 #queensland #election #platform #peakcare #advocacy #yourpeak

While Queensland’s official Foster Carer Week is in May each year, it has been wonderful to see my colleagues and other jurisdictional peak bodies and organisations celebrating their Foster and Kinship Carers Week, and the vital role they play in keeping children and young people safe.   On the back of PeakCare’s release of Queensland’s Foster Carer Demographic Insights Report in June 2024, as part of Queensland Child Protection Week last week I gave a keynote address at the 7th National Child Protection & Youth Justice Forum on the demographic trends impacting Queensland's foster care system.   I spoke about the concerning demographic and socio-economic trends effecting the available pool of traditional foster carers (and their capacity), despite the overall population growth in Queensland. But equally, I offered actionable opportunities for governments to address the systems pressing challenges.   We know Child Protection predominantly falls under state-based systems, but the Commonwealth also has responsibilities that can play a pivotal role in facilitating better support for foster carers. PeakCare Queensland is privileged to be part of a newly established National Foster Care Sustainability Group, led by Families Australia, who are working to directly inform and present to the Commonwealth Government a concise set of solutions for priority action. This week, I met with national colleagues in Melbourne to continue progressing this critical work.   The foster carer shortage and the over-reliance on residential care, deserves our collective, urgent attention. Together, we can ensure that children, young people, families, and carers receive the support they need, when they need it most. PeakCare is committed to this critical work to enhance the future of foster care and better outcomes for all children and young people in our care. Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) Centre for Excellence in Child & Family Welfare Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers SA Inc Key Assets (Australia) Life Without Barriers Anglicare Victoria Third Sector Au NAPCAN OzChild Luke Twyford Amanda Camm Charis Mullen MP #child #family #foster #fostercare #kin #kinship #kinshipcare #residential #residentialcare #reform #qld #queensland #childsafety #childprotection #youthjustice #youth #peak #advocacy

PeakCare welcomes the announcement that Queensland Parliament has today passed the Child Safe Organisations Bill 2024 and amendments to the Blue Card system in the final sitting week of government. The Child Safe Organisations Bill introduces a model for child safe standards and a reportable conduct scheme, which were recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017. The child and family welfare sector has now collectively accomplished enshrining the message that protecting children is everyone's business in Queensland law. The amendments to the Blue Card scheme remove the requirement for kinship carers and adult household members to hold a Blue Card to care for family. This change affirms the primacy of safety for each child in every decision, and it acknowledges the critical role that cultural continuity plays in achieving safety for First Nations children. Queensland needs a robust range of safeguarding practices embedded into everyday practice to keep children safe. With these amendments, we are one step closer to a system that truly and fairly contributes to protecting Queensland children. We acknowledge the sustained advocacy for these reforms from the child and family services sector over many years, and welcome the passage of these amendments as a key milestone for our sector. PeakCare Queensland Charis Mullen MP #DavidCrisafulliMP Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services Tom Allsop Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) Luke Twyford #queensland #government #policy #legislation #amendments #bluecard #safeguarding #organisations #first #nations #child #protection #safety #childwelfare #families #communities #children #youngpeople #futures #yourpeak #advocacy

Today PeakCare and QShelter joined in bringing together key leaders from the housing, homelessness, and youth sectors in a united stance on addressing the needs of young people in Queensland. The focus was on the critical importance of prevention and early intervention strategies. Together we urge all Queensland Government decision-makers to prioritise youth housing as a central issue in this election: 🎯 Establish clear targets to end youth homelessness before the 2032 Games. 🎯 Develop a 'Housing First' strategy that includes targeted investments in safe, secure, and affordable housing specifically for young people aged 12-24 years. 🎯 Fund and support the development of Rainbow Houses - crisis accommodation that is queer-led and peer-supported to ensure safe and appropriate housing for vulnerable LGBTIQ+ young people 🎯 Create a distinct policy for unaccompanied young people aged 12-15 that includes funding for therapeutic housing models, ensuring that their complex needs are met 🎯 Set specific targets for delivering social and affordable housing for young people, with a focus on both immediate and long-term solutions. View PeakCare's call for election commitments 👉 https://lnkd.in/gy3REhMe View QShelter's call for election commitments 👉 https://lnkd.in/geff62Ff A ‘Housing First’ strategy ensures access to secure and appropriate housing and flexible supports, to act as an early intervention approach to break the cycle of disadvantage before it starts. We call on all political parties to contribute to this opportunity to prioritise the future of Queensland. PeakCare Queensland Open Doors Youth Service Inc. 🏳️🌈 Q Shelter Tom Allsop Murray Benton Jackson Hills Charis Mullen MP Steven Miles #DavidCrisafulliMP #AmandaCammMP #child #protection #early #intervention #youth #homelessness #enddisadvantage #prevention #queensland #election #commitment #advocacy #yourpeak

Every child and young person in care deserves a nurturing, stable, and home-like environment and frequent police visits can disrupt this sense of home and safety. This week PeakCare Queensland, in partnership with the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services (Brisbane and Moreton Bay Region), Infinity Community Solutions Ltd., The Arches Foundation and the Queensland Police Service hosted a collaborative forum in Brisbane to hear directly from residential care providers, child safety experts, and police officers to discuss strategies for promoting and keeping relationship, connection, consistency, trust and respect at the heart of our child and family service system. Through the development and implementation of Queensland’s Joint Agency Protocols for Reducing Preventable Police Callouts we have seen a decrease in the number of callouts to residential care homes. We know however that Queensland has never had more demand placed on its residential care system and more needs to be done to support our frontline service providers, police, and child safety officers. Last week we were reminded that child protection is everyone’s business and that every conversation matters. This week I am heartened to see the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services, Queensland Police Service and frontline service providers coming together in partnership to bring these shared commitments to life. Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) PeakCare Queensland Luke Twyford #child #youth #family #care #kin #kinship #foster #fostercare #residentialcare #police #safety #frontline #communitysafety #community #queensland #qld #peak #advocacy

🏢 ✨ Exciting Reveal: PeakCare's New Office in Brisbane's CBD ✨ After many wonderful years in Paddington, PeakCare has relocated to a new office space in Brisbane's CBD. Our new office is a space that embodies PeakCare’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and excellence in the child protection sector. Our new office is not just a space for PeakCare staff – it is available for use by all PeakCare members. We have designed this space for collaboration and innovation and we are excited to make it available for use by our members. Whether it’s for meetings, workshops, or if you are needing a hot desk for the day, we hope our office will be a welcoming space where our members can come together to share ideas, connect, and work towards a brighter future for Queensland’s children and young people. For more information contact [email protected]. We would like to extend our thanks to Richard Wiseman and his team from RAW Commercial Projects, who helped in bringing our vision to life. From the initial design concepts to the final touches, their team was professional, creative, and dedicated to ensuring every detail was perfect. RAW’s expertise and passion for what they do truly shine through in our new office environment, making it a place where our team can thrive. We’d also like to give a shoutout to Craig English, the talented photographer who captured the essence of our new office with his lens. Craig’s work has beautifully highlighted the design elements and the welcoming atmosphere of our new space. His photos perfectly showcase the fresh, modern environment that our team is now proud to call home. This move wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and support of everyone involved and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to making this transition seamless and successful. We look forward to welcoming our colleagues, partners, and community members to our new office. Thank you for being part of this exciting chapter in PeakCare’s journey! #OfficeMove #BrisbaneCBD #PeakCare #RAWCommercialProjects #CraigEnglishPhotography

🏢 ✨ Exciting Reveal: PeakCare's New Office in Brisbane's CBD ✨ After many wonderful years in Paddington, PeakCare has relocated to a new office space in Brisbane's CBD. Our new office is a space that embodies PeakCare’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and excellence in the child protection sector. Our new office is not just a space for PeakCare staff – it is available for use by all PeakCare members. We have designed this space for collaboration and innovation and we are excited to make it available for use by our members. Whether it’s for meetings, workshops, or if you are needing a hot desk for the day, we hope our office will be a welcoming space where our members can come together to share ideas, connect, and work towards a brighter future for Queensland’s children and young people. For more information contact [email protected]. We would like to extend our thanks to Richard Wiseman and his team from RAW Commercial Projects, who helped in bringing our vision to life. From the initial design concepts to the final touches, their team was professional, creative, and dedicated to ensuring every detail was perfect. RAW’s expertise and passion for what they do truly shine through in our new office environment, making it a place where our team can thrive. We’d also like to give a shoutout to Craig English, the talented photographer who captured the essence of our new office with his lens. Craig’s work has beautifully highlighted the design elements and the welcoming atmosphere of our new space. His photos perfectly showcase the fresh, modern environment that our team is now proud to call home. This move wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and support of everyone involved and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to making this transition seamless and successful. We look forward to welcoming our colleagues, partners, and community members to our new office. Thank you for being part of this exciting chapter in PeakCare’s journey! #OfficeMove #BrisbaneCBD #PeakCare #RAWCommercialProjects #CraigEnglishPhotography