An investigation into the child safety system in Queensland has revealed that the department aimed to achieve 91 percent of children in family-based foster and kinship care, rather than in residential settings, by the year 2027.
Deidre Mulkerin, the former director-general of the department, testified during the inquiry that the goal regarding residential care was, in retrospect, overly ambitious from the outset.
The inquiry, initiated in May by the state LNP government, seeks to examine the systematic issues within the child safety framework.
Testifying on Tuesday, Mulkerin, who served as director-general from 2020 until 2024 under the previous Labor government, noted that the department was already facing a significant rise in costs when she assumed her position.
The 2023 objectives included the target of 91 percent of children in family-based environments by 2027, but Mulkerin asserted that this goal was unrealistic.
“Looking back, it is clear that the expectations regarding residential care were challenging to meet,” she stated. “The trend was not decreasing; in fact, it was increasing.”
At that time, Mulkerin had requested $1.5 billion in funding to meet the established targets but was only granted approximately $280 million.
Joshua Forrest, the counsel assisting the inquiry, remarked, “This is a notably ambitious plan with serious goals. Would you agree that the success of those objectives was significantly hindered by the absence of new funding?” Mulkerin confirmed this, particularly regarding the residential care goal.
Inquiry commissioner Paul Anastassiou KC and Mulkerin concurred that the financial constraints meant that the opportunity to positively impact the lives of some children in care had diminished.
During Mulkerin’s leadership, the financial strain on the child safety department was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to more systemic issues.
She described a “dramatic” increase of around 500 children entering the child safety system as various groups, including educational and disability support services, ceased operations due to lockdown measures.
This surge primarily consisted of teenagers newly involved in the system who had complex needs. Additionally, Mulkerin noted that closed borders eliminated the potential workforce from other states and countries “literally overnight.”
“It was a highly disruptive period that affected many of our usual operations,” she remarked.
Mulkerin admitted to the inquiry that she had mistakenly anticipated that these children would return to their homes once the pandemic was over. “This was indicative of how severely stressed those families were,” she explained. “They fell apart and could not resume care for their children.”
The inquiry also highlighted that approximately half of the children in the child protection system identify as Indigenous.
When questioned by the commissioner, Mulkerin acknowledged the long-term implications and inherent power imbalances involved when the department removes children from their families or guardians. She expressed concern that a predominantly non-Indigenous workforce might not adequately serve the needs of First Nations children.
“The department is largely staffed by non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals,” Mulkerin stated. “I don’t believe this serves the best interests of First Nations children.”
Later this week, the inquiry is set to hear from Leanne Linard, the former child safety minister and current shadow environment minister.
