Children on orders
The Child Protection Act 1999 provides for a number of different child protection orders to be granted by the Childrens Court.
The types of child protection orders that can be granted by the Childrens Court include:
- short-term child protection orders (directive, supervision, custody to the chief executive or a suitable person who is a member of the child's family, short term guardianship to the chief executive) or
- long-term child protection order (guardianship to the chief executive, a relative of the child or another suitable person) or
- permanent care order.
When the Childrens Court grants custody or guardianship of a child to the chief executive (Director-General) of the department, it is the department's responsibility to find an appropriate care arrangement for the child. The department uses various care arrangements for the children in its care including family-based care (foster, kinship and provisionally approved carers) and residential care services.
Wherever possible, the department seeks to place a child with extended family (kinship carers) in order to maintain family connections.
Children may also be living in other locations such as health facilities, boarding schools, youth detention centres, as well as in independent living arrangements.
Children on a child protection order
Source: Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services.
- Data is as at the reference date.
- Counts the number of children subject to a child protection order as at the reference date.
- Age group: Based on the age of the child as at the reference date.
- Non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: Includes non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and children whose Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is unknown or not stated.
- Guardianship/Custody to a relative or other person: Includes children subject to a permanent care order.
- Child protection order: A child protection order is an order made by the Childrens Court under the Child Protection Act 1999, when a child is assessed to be in need of protection. There are different types of child protection orders, depending on a child and family's situation, including directive orders, supervision orders, custody orders and guardianship orders.
- Long-term - Guardianship to a relative or other suitable person: An order made under the Child Protection Act 1999 that grants long-term guardianship of the child to a suitable family member (other than a parent of the child), another suitable person nominated by the chief executive until the child’s 18th birthday.
- Long-term - Guardianship to the chief executive: An order made under the Child Protection Act 1999 that grants long-term guardianship of the child to the chief executive until the child’s 18th birthday.
- Long-term - Permanent care order: A long term child protection order where a permanent guardian is legally appointed to a child. Only the office of the Director Child Protection Litigation (DCPL) can apply to revoke or vary a Permanent Care Order. Once a Permanent Care Order is made, the department has no further involvement with the child subject to the order unless the guardian or the child request a review of the case plan, or a complaint is made.
- Short-term - Chief executive to supervise matters: A child protection order that requires the chief executive to supervise the child's protection in relation to the matters stated in the order. The order is made for a period up to 1 year.
- Short-term - Directing a parent's actions/contact: An order made under the Child Protection Act 1999 directing a parent, to do or refrain from doing something directly related to the child's protection or not to have contact (direct or indirect) with the child, or to only have contact when a stated person or a person of a stated category is present. The order is made for a period up to 1 year.
- Short-term - Guardianship: An order made under the Child Protection Act 1999 granting guardianship rights and responsibilities to the chief executive in relation to the child (for a period of up to two years), including matters associated with the child's daily care.
- Short-term Custody: An order made under the Child Protection Act 1999 granting custody rights and responsibilities to a kinship carer or to the chief executive (for a period of up to two years). Guardianship rights and responsibilities in relation to the child remain with the child's parents for the duration of the custody order.
Living arrangements of children on a child protection order
Source: Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services.
- Data is as at the reference date.
- Counts the number of children subject to a child protection order as at the reference date.
- Counts where the child was living as at the reference date.
- Age group: Based on the age of the child as at the reference date.
- Non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: Includes non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and children whose Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is unknown or not stated.
- Child protection order: A child protection order is an order made by the Childrens Court under the Child Protection Act 1999, when a child is assessed to be in need of protection. There are different types of child protection orders, depending on a child and family's situation, including directive orders, supervision orders, custody orders and guardianship orders.
- Foster care: Includes children living with a foster carer or a provisionally approved carer where no family relationship exists between carer and child.
- Kinship care: Includes children living with a kinship carer, and children living with a foster carer or provisionally approved carer where a family relationship exists between the carer and child.
- Parents: Includes children living with a parent/s while being provided ongoing support by the department.
- Residential care: Includes children living is non-family-based accommodation and support services funded by the department to provide placement and support for children. These residential services provide daily care and support for children from a house parent or rostered residential care workers model.
- Other: Includes locations such as hospitals, boarding schools, Queensland youth detention centres and all other locations.
Children on a child protection order - Rate per 1,000
Source: Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services.
- Data is as at the reference date.
- Counts the number of children subject to a child protection order as at the reference date.
- Rate per thousand: Counts the number of children on a child protection order divided by the population of children and young people aged 0-17 years of age. Population data is sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and is based on estimated resident population for Queenslanders aged 0-17 years, as at 30 June of the previous year.
- Non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: Includes non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and children whose Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is unknown or not stated.
- Child protection order: A child protection order is an order made by the Childrens Court under the Child Protection Act 1999, when a child is assessed to be in need of protection. There are different types of child protection orders, depending on a child and family's situation, including directive orders, supervision orders, custody orders and guardianship orders.
From June 2019 - Estimated resident population data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland have been revised for all reference periods using rebased population estimates by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2016 Census based) sourced from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. The size, structure and components of these estimates supersede those previously published by the ABS (2011 Census based).
From June 2023 - Estimated resident population data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland have been revised for all reference periods using rebased population estimates by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2021 Census based) sourced from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. The size, structure and components of these estimates supersede those previously published by the ABS (2016 Census based).
Percentage of young people aged 10 and over, on a child protection order who are also on a youth justice order
Source: Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services.
- Data is as at the reference date.
- Counts young people aged 10 and over who were subject to a child protection order and a supervised youth justice order on the reference date.
- Data for the periods up to and including 30 June 2017 are a count of young people who offended at age 10 to 16 years, while data from February 2018 and onwards includes young people who offended at age 10 to 17 years.
- Supervised sentenced Youth Justice orders include: probation, graffiti removal, community service, intensive supervision, conditional release, detention/supervised release and restorative justice orders.
- Data excludes young people who were on conditional bail programs only or those who were remanded in custody only.
- Non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: Includes non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and children whose Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is unknown or not stated.
- Child protection order: A child protection order is an order made by the Childrens Court under the Child Protection Act 1999, when a child is assessed to be in need of protection. There are different types of child protection orders, depending on a child and family's situation, including directive orders, supervision orders, custody orders and guardianship orders.