The final report of an investigation into systemic issues within Queensland’s child safety system, to identify systemic weaknesses and to recommend reforms to better protect vulnerable children. The report comprises of the executive report and seven companion reports. 

The child safety system has one single priority, the wellbeing and best interests of children in state care, otherwise known as the ‘paramount principle’. The success of the child safety system is to be measured against that overarching principle. The evidence before the Commission has revealed that too often decisions and actions taken on behalf of children do not give effect to the paramount principle. 

The evidence considered throughout the report suggests that Queensland’s child protection system does not fail because it lacks intent or effort. It struggles because it operates under conditions that make sustained reform difficult to achieve. The report provides It provides 52 recommendations.

Report structure

• Chapter 1: executive summary.
• Chapter 2: sets out the purpose, scope, and methods of the Commission.
• Chapter 3: examines the foundational principles that govern the child protection system, early intervention and family support, organisational culture, and the State’s role as corporate parent and the exerciser of authority and responsibility. 
• Chapter 4: discusses the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. 
• Chapter 5: focuses on the key functions in the child safety system.
• Chapter 6: focuses on the child protection litigation model and the court process
• Chapter 7: explores the care continuum, including family-based and non-family-based care, secure care and future care options. 
• Chapter 8: addresses permanency, including adoption and the intersection between child protection and youth justice.
• Chapter 9: examines the complaints system and whether the current framework enables concerns to be heard, assessed and acted up in a way that protects children and supports improvement.  
• Chapter 10: explores the core functions underpinning and enabling the functioning of the child protection system.
• Chapter 11: sets out a proposed pathway for reform, including sequencing and implementation considerations.