Qld child safety watchdog barks over lack of progress. Minister says state is acting

A senior Queensland government minister has defended the state's approach to child safety reforms, despite criticism from the principal family and child commissioner who called the system one of the least transparent in Australia. Principal Queensland Family and Child Commissioner Luke Twyford raised concerns about reduced transparency and a lack of meaningful change in the child safety sector, following the cancellation of an annual survey of children in state care by Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm. Twyford described the situation as a “shocking performance assessment” and warned that the system’s operations had become “invisible.” His remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of the state’s handling of child welfare under the Crisafulli government, which took office pledging reform. The controversy began earlier this year when Minister Camm decided to discontinue the annual My Life In Care survey, a program designed to gather feedback from children in state care. Twyford criticized the move, arguing that the decision undermined efforts to improve accountability and transparency. He noted that the previous government had used gift cards to incentivize participation in the survey, a practice endorsed by child protection agencies as a means of encouraging engagement. However, the current administration has opted not to replicate this approach, leaving questions about how it will measure progress in the absence of the survey. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek addressed the issue during a press conference on the Gold Coast, stating that the government respects Twyford’s views and continues to collaborate with him across multiple portfolios, including education, law, and policing. When pressed directly about whether Queenslanders should trust a system that lacks proper monitoring mechanisms, Langbroek avoided giving a clear response. Instead, he emphasized that the government is implementing a “road map” based on recommendations from a royal commission, asserting that the pace of reform is appropriate given the scale of the task and the decade-long neglect under the previous Labor government. Camm, who oversees child safety policy, has previously praised the 2024 edition of the My Life In Care survey, highlighting its findings as evidence of positive developments. However, her decision to end the program has drawn criticism from advocates and oversight bodies, who argue that discontinuing the survey risks losing critical data on the experiences of vulnerable children. A spokesperson for the Department of Child Safety declined to comment on whether an alternative method of gathering feedback would be introduced, citing internal discussions still underway. The current challenges facing the child safety system include delays in rolling out a long-awaited IT infrastructure, an increase in the number of children placed in residential care, and budget constraints that have limited resources for frontline workers. These issues have compounded concerns about the effectiveness of recent reforms, particularly after a government-commissioned inquiry was abruptly terminated and Twyford’s commission was slated to be merged into a new agency. Critics have pointed to these structural changes as potential obstacles to meaningful improvement, especially as adoption policies undergo revisions that some fear could further complicate the placement of children in stable homes. Twyford’s criticisms align with broader calls for greater oversight and accountability within the child protection system. While the government maintains that it is making steady progress toward implementing reforms, the commissioner’s warnings highlight persistent gaps in transparency and responsiveness. With no immediate plans to restore the My Life In Care survey, the debate over how to effectively gauge the impact of policy changes remains unresolved. As the state moves forward with its roadmap, the challenge lies in balancing administrative efficiency with the need to ensure that the voices of children in care remain central to the process.