The State Government announced at the Budget it will invest $1.2 billion for a child protection package to provide more support for children in out-of-home care (OOHC).
The State Government promised $1.2 billion to boost OOHC. This will include more than $191 million that will go to recruiting more than 200 Caseworkers and retain more than 2000 already in the role with higher pay and specialised training.

There will also be a 20 per cent increase in the allowance given to those who foster children, the first increase in the amount allocated to families in two decades.
The boost to Child Protection follows the PSA’s long-running campaign to fix up the state’s beleaguered Child Protection system, that had suffered serious neglect under the Liberal National Coalition Government.

The Minister overseeing the changes agrees with the PSA’s bleak assessment of the current state of Child Protection.
“We inherited a system spiralling out of control,” said Minister for Families and Communities, Kate Washington, at the media announcement. “We are backing our dedicated, hard-working Child Protection Workers.”

The Minister called the additional spending “a down payment in the future of vulnerable young people”.

An additional $10 million will be allocated to the Office of the Children’s Guardian.

More than $49 million will go to 44 government-owned residential care homes for children with complex needs.

PSA Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright also spoke at the launch.

“It is ironic that the system set up for neglected children has itself been neglected,” he said.

He welcomed the changes to improve what he called “arguably the government’s most important function, protecting vulnerable children”.

PSA Delegate and Child Protection Worker Andrea Cartwright (pictured below) said the improvements will “be a big relief to Child Protection Workers.”

She welcomed the greater recognition Child Protection Workers received from the State Government and expressed hope additional resourcing would free them from excessive paperwork, giving them more time to work in the field.