Through the course of general disability advocacy work in child protection matters, Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI) noticed that the Queensland Government Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Service guidance relied on for decision making in child protection matters is discriminatory and is likely contributing to the unnecessary removal of children from parents with disability.

Relevantly, the Disability Royal Commission commissioned a research report into ‘Parents with Disability and their Experiences of the Child Protection Systems’ . This research sought to improve understanding of the experiences of parents with disability of Australian child protection systems. The research explained how parents with disability are framed as potential risks to their children.

This QAI commentary paper follows a review of some of the Department’s publicly available policies. It addresses four concerning themes found throughout the policies as well as a break down of some specific issues found in a range of policy documents.