Long-term care—information for parents
To grow up happy and healthy, children need to live in a safe and stable home with people who care for them.
If you are not able to care for your child at home, Child Safety will work with you, your child and other important people in your child's life to arrange for your child's long-term care. Things to be considered include who may be your child's guardian and where they will live.
Your child's guardian will take on parenting responsibility for your child until they turn 18. They won't replace you as your child's parent but will make all of the decisions about your child and ensure they have a secure and permanent home.
The Childrens Court makes the final decision about long-term child protection orders. You are able to be involved in the court process and put your views forward to the court.
If a long-term order is made, you will remain an important person in your child's life and will continue to have ongoing contact with your child if it is considered in their best interests.
On this page
- Long-term care options for my child
- Differences between child protection orders
- Guardian's obligations
- What to do if I have concerns about my child after an order is made
- More information
Long-term care options for my child
There are different child protection orders that provide for your child's care until they turn 18:
- long-term guardianship order to the chief executive
- long-term guardianship to a suitable person
- permanent care order.
Wherever possible, a long-term guardianship order to a suitable person, or a permanent care order is preferred.
As part of the decision-making about which long-term order is in your child's best interests, Child Safety will do a comprehensive assessment of the proposed guardian's ability and willingness to:
- meet all of the child's needs, both now and into the future
- meet the legal obligations of a long-term guardian or permanent guardian.
Your child's guardian could be a family member or their carer.
You will be given the opportunity to participate in the assessment process of the proposed guardian. During this process, you have a right to tell Child Safety what is important to you and your child, and to be listened to. You can ask questions about what it would mean for you and your child, and to express your views.
The Director of Child Protection Litigation (DCPL) is an agency that is independent of Child Safety and responsible for deciding whether to apply for child protection orders. When Child Safety decides that a long-term guardianship order or permanent care order is the best way to meet the child's long-term needs, a referral will be made to the DCPL recommending this type of order.
If the DCPL decide to apply for a long-term guardianship order or a permanent care order, you will also have an opportunity to have your say through the court process. You can have a lawyer present to help have your views heard in court, which also helps the court to have as much information as possible to make its decision.
You can call any of the following organisations for help:
- Legal Aid Queensland: 1300 651 188
- Community Legal Centres Queensland: (07) 3392 0092
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (Qld): 1800 012 255 (free call)
Differences between child protection orders
Once a long-term guardianship order or permanent care order is made, the guardian will become responsible for the daily care of your child, as well as for making decisions about your child's long-term care, wellbeing and upbringing. The order will remain in place until your child turns 18.
As the guardian takes on parental responsibility, Child Safety's ongoing role becomes very limited, and Child Safety will no longer make decisions about your child's care and upbringing.
This means that many of the things that Child Safety may currently be responsible for will become the responsibility of the guardian, including:
- supporting your child to maintain a connection with you, their family and other people who are important them
- providing for your child's health needs
- making decisions about your child's schooling and educational needs
- meeting your child's needs for disability support, where relevant, including working with the National Disability Insurance Agency
- helping your child to prepare for adulthood.
Read about the differences between a long-term guardianship order, a permanent care order and other types of orders granting custody or guardianship to the chief executive below.
| Order granting long-term guardianship to a suitable person | Permanent care order | Order granting custody or guardianship to the chief executive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the child have contact with their child safety officer? | Yes, yearly | No | Yes, at least once per month |
| Will a community visitor still visit the child? | No | No | Yes |
| When will the case plan be reviewed? | Only if requested by the long-term guardian or the child. A parent can request a review if there hasn't been a review in the previous 12 months | Only if requested by the permanent guardian or the child | At least 6-monthly |
Guardian's obligations
A child's guardian is legally required to:
- keep Child Safety informed about where your child is living
- tell you where your child is living, and give you information about their care*
- provide opportunities for contact between you and your child, and other members of their family*
- uphold the Charter of Rights for a child in care
- help your child transition to adulthood
- preserve your child's identity and connection to their culture
- help to maintain your child's relationships with you, family members and other persons of significance
- tell Child Safety if your child is going to or has moved from the guardian's care.
*If it is not safe, the Childrens Court may order that the guardian does not need to comply with this obligation.
What to do if I have concerns about my child after an order is made
If you believe that your child's guardian is not meeting their responsibilities, you can contact the Child Safety Service Centre who were involved, or any Child Safety Service Centre to discuss your worries.
You can also speak to staff in the Child Safety Complaints Unit about your concerns and worries and they will advise you how Child Safety will respond to your complaint. The Child Safety Complaints Unit can be contacted on 1800 080 464 or by email at feedback@cyjma.qld.gov.au.
More information
You can find out more information about long-term guardianship orders and permanent care orders from the child safety officer. To find the contact details for the relevant child safety officer, you can:
- go to Child Safety's website
- call Child Safety's enquiries unit on 1800 811 810 (free call).