This information for young people who are in the care of Child Safety includes:.

1. Making decisions for myself
2. What if I’m unhappy with my case plan?
3. Things I disagree with and what I can do about it
4. What to do if my needs are not being met?
5. What to do if I’m unhappy with my Child Protection Order?

Making decisions for myself

If you are in the care of Child Safety then some decisions that are really important will be made by a group of adults and you. These decisions are usually made at a Family Group Meeting. At this meeting, your parents, carers, Child Safety Officer (the person from Child Safety whose job is to make sure your needs are met), cultural representative, your youth worker, your lawyer and you talk about what you need to have a good life. This is put into a case plan which says things like who you live with and where you go to school.

As you get older you may get better at making decisions. The law says that as you get better at understanding what a decision is about and what will happen if you choose different options, then what you want will be more important when deciding what happens in your life. The more important the decision is, the more you will need to show that you understand what the decision is about and how it affects you.

If you feel like you are ready to have more of a say in decisions about your life you can talk to an adult that you trust which may be:

• Your Child Safety Officer;
• If you are Indigenous then your local Indigenous group or community member who have been approved by Child Safety;
• A Community Visitor from the Public Guardian;
• If you are in ‘residential care’ then a worker at your placement;
• Youth Worker - see contact details at the end of the sheet;
• Lawyer - see contact details at the end of the sheet.

What if I’m unhappy about my case plan?

Your case plan should be reviewed regularly by Child Safety and you have to be given a chance to participate in the review. If you think that your case plan needs to be changed then you can also speak to any of the other people listed above in the section ’Making Decisions for myself’.

The best place to have your case plan changed is at the next Family Group Meeting. To find out when the next Family Group Meeting is you should ask your Child Safety Officer.

Things I may disagree with and what I can do about them

You can ask for some decisions by Child Safety to be reviewed by someone outside of Child Safety. These are:

• Refusing a request to review a case plan;
• refusing to deal with a complaint about your permanent guardian;
• that you are to live with a particular person or in a particular place;
• not to let your parents know where you are living or who you are living with;
• to limit or stop you from seeing your parents, brother or sister;
• that you are no longer allowed to live with a person who was your carer.

This means that the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) may look over the decision. Other people, like your parents or carers, can also ask for some decisions to be reviewed. You can go to QCAT (you can take a support person; you don’t need a lawyer but you can have one if you wish) and say what you think should happen. The decision can either be changed or be left as it is. QCAT may give you information and help so you can apply for a review and participate in the process.

You have only 28 days after you get the letter from Child Safety telling you about the decision to put your application for a review in at QCAT. If you don’t get a letter telling you about the decision, you may still be able to have the decision reviewed. This won’t cost you anything. To get help with this call one of the legal services at the end of this sheet or QCAT.

What to do if my needs are not being met?

You can contact the Public Guardian. It is separate from Child Safety and is there to help you if you feel like you are not having your needs met. See their contact details at the end of this sheet.

Create is a non-government organisation which supports young people who are in care and transitioning to independence from care.  See their contact details at the end of this sheet.

What if I am unhappy with the Child Protection Order? (CPO)

A Child Protection Order can be made by the Childrens Court if the court decides that you are unsafe and there is not a parent able to make you safe at the moment.The aim of the Order is to make you safe. If the court makes a CPO about you and you disagree with it, you can ask the court to cancel or change the Order. For the court to cancel the Order you will need to show the court that you will be safe from harm without a CPO. For the court to change your CPO you will have to show the court that the change you want to make will still keep you safe from harm.

If there has been an application to the court for an Order, there will be a number of court hearings – it won’t be sorted out on one day. While the application is being decided the court can say that Child Safety will decide where you will live or that Child Safety can come and check on your safety. The court might decide that you are to live with someone other than your parents until a final Order is made. If you disagree with this you may be able to appeal. This appeal must be made within 28 days of the court making this Order. You will need some help with this appeal so it is best to call one of the lawyers at the end of this sheet.

Your Mum, Dad or other people involved in the Child Protection Order also may be able to appeal the Court Order.