Who we work with

In care, children and young people will have the supports they need to enjoy their childhood, feel safe and cared for, and develop into adulthood.

Carer families

Carer families

Approved carers play a key role in the child protection system, providing care for children when separation from their parents is required to ensure their safety.

The approval of carers is prescribed by the Child Protection Act 1999 and the Child Protection Regulation 2011. There are three types of approved carers:

  • foster carers - Approved to care for any child or young person in the custody or guardianship of the chief executive (Director-General) of the department
  • kinship carers - Approved to care for a specific child or children who are members of their extended family or community, or with whom they have a pre-existing significant relationship
  • provisionally approved carers - Applicants wishing to become approved as kinship or foster carers who initially receive a provisional certificate of approval. An applicant will only be issued with a provisional certificate when they have been provisionally assessed as suitable to care for a particular child.

In Queensland, there is a critical need for more foster and kinship carers to allow the department and fostering and kinship care agencies to better match the needs of children with suitable carers.

An increased pool and diversity of available foster carers will ensure the best possible matching of care arrangements to the individual needs of children requiring a care arrangement.

To learn more about becoming a foster carer, please visit:

https://www.cyjma.qld.gov.au/campaign/foster-care-recruitment/foster-carer-stories

If you are a family member of a child in care and are considering becoming a kinship carer please visit:

https://www.qld.gov.au/community/caring-child/foster-kinship-care/foster-kinship-care-become-a-carer/foster-kinship-care-why-become-a-carer

Carer individual demographics

Source: Source: Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.

What is being counted

  1. Data is as at the reference date.
  2. Counts the number of approved foster, kinship and provisionally approved carers as at the reference date.
  3. Foster carers: Are counted regardless of whether they had a child placed with them on the reference date.
  4. Kinship carers: Are counted only if they have a child placed in their care on the reference date.
  5. Provisionally approved carers: Are counted only if they have a child placed in their care on the reference date.
  6. Non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: Includes non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander carers and carers' whose Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is unknown or not stated.

Definition notes

  1. Foster carer: A foster carer is an individual approved by Child Safety to provide family-based care for children in their own home. Foster carers undergo a thorough screening, assessment and training process prior to being approved, to assess their ability to provide care for children in line with the legislated standards of care and to provide them with support to do so.
  2. Kinship carer: A person who is related to the child or a member of the child's community who is considered family or a close friend, who has been approved by the department to provide family-based care for the child. Kinship carers are approved for a specific child.
  3. Provisionally approved carer: A provisionally approved carer is a person who has been approved to care for a particular child for a defined period of time. A provisionally approved carer must have made an application to be either a foster or kinship carer.

Carer families

Source: Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.

What is being counted

  1. Data is as at the reference date.
  2. Counts the number of approved foster, kinship and provisionally approved carer families as at the reference date.
  3. Foster carers: Are counted regardless of whether they had a child placed with them on the reference date.
  4. Kinship carers: Are counted only if they have a child placed in their care on the reference date.
  5. Provisionally approved carers: Are counted only if they have a child placed in their care on the reference date.
  6. Non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: Includes non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander carer and carers whose Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is unknown or not stated.

Definition notes

  1. Foster carer: A foster carer family is an individual, or two or more individuals approved by Child Safety to provide family-based care for children in their own home. Foster carers undergo a thorough screening, assessment and training process prior to being approved, to assess their ability to provide care for children in line with the legislated standards of care and to provide them with support to do so.
  2. Kinship carer: A kinship carer family is a person or persons who is related to the child or a member of the child's community who is considered family or a close friend, who has been approved by the department to provide family-based care for the child. Kinship carers are approved for a specific child.
  3. Provisionally approved carer: A provisionally approved carer family is a person or persons who has been approved to care for a particular child for a defined period of time. A provisionally approved carer must have made an application to be either a foster or kinship carer.

Ratio of children in home-based care to the number of approved carer families

Source: Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.

What is being counted

  1. Data is as at the reference date.

  2. Divides the number of children in home-based care by the number of carer families.

Definition notes

  1. Home-based care: Includes kinship care and foster care.

  2. Foster carer: A foster carer family is an individual, or two or more individuals approved by Child Safety to provide family-based care for children in their own home. Foster carers undergo a thorough screening, assessment and training process prior to being approved, to assess their ability to provide care for children in line with the legislated standards of care and to provide them with support to do so.

  3. Kinship carer: A kinship carer family is a person or persons who is related to the child or a member of the child's community who is considered family or a close friend, who has been approved by the department to provide family-based care for the child. Kinship carers are approved for a specific child.