Queensland child safety workers say their case loads are "problematic" and "unsustainable", a leaked government-commissioned report shows.
The KPMG report into the current state of Queensland's child safety service centres – completed in January this year and obtained by the ABC – also says there is no formal system to back-fill positions while child safety officers are on leave.
"This means caseloads are absorbed by other employees," the report says.
"Employees who are 'minding' cases may need to prioritise the work performed which can mean that there is a backlog of activity and administration when the leave-taking CSO [child safety officer] returns."
Case loads have been a long-running issue, with the union representing child safety workers in Queensland recently telling ABC Investigations that they were still too high and officers could not do all the tasks required of them.
A former child safety officer who previously worked with Kerri-Ann Conley – who left her daughters Darcey and Chloe in a hot car in 2019 – spoke out this year, saying the girls' deaths could have been prevented if she had a lower case load.
The Department of Children says the current target for child safety officer workloads is 16.
But the KPMG review reveals that some staff feel the workload and complexity is "unsustainable," "problematic" and not aligned with the recommendations from Tim Carmody's Child Protection Commission of Inquiry a decade ago.
"High case loads are felt to impede service delivery as they reduce time for CSOs to attend training and create a tension between administration and contact time with children and families," the report says.
"Current workload is reported to impact the capacity to exercise professional judgement and make decisions in complex cases."
KPMG says, despite a "comprehensive" workload management manual and criteria, child safety staff report "high workloads and problematic case loads, which impact their ability to deliver the service they would like for children and families".
The department engaged KPMG last year to review child safety service centres and identify opportunities to manage service needs with sustainable workplace practices.
Complex cases and low workforce retention
The report says Queensland's department – like all child protection agencies across the country – is experiencing a range of challenges, including increasingly complex cases and workforce constraints linked to attracting and retaining skilled and experienced staff.
The Sunshine Coast and Central Queensland region had the highest vacancy rate for child safety officers at 11.5 per cent.
Meanwhile, the shortest average tenure for child safety officers was in Far North Queensland at 3.4 years.
"Workforce retention factors include the stressful nature of the roles, case load pressures and as a result, limited time spent with children and families," the report says.
"Limited career paths for CSOs to consider is another key contributor to vacancy rates, which often increases employees' case loads."
The report identifies international recruitment as one opportunity to attract child safety workers, while also noting the EVP – the bundle of rewards and benefits offered to employees – is not competitive with other organisations.
Institutional racism
It also says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are over-represented in the child protection system and attracting First Nations employees is a priority.
But, under the heading "What we heard and observed," KPMG says institutional racism continues to impact the lives of families and communities that the department services.
"It was reported at one consultation that some [Department] non-Indigenous employees, at times, exhibit privilege and entitlement and may act in a patronising and superior manner," the report says.
"Within [the Department], there were reports that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees do not feel culturally safe within the organisation (i.e. not respected, culture not valued).
"The workforce needs to further develop cultural competency."
The report analyses different trends that are likely to impact the child protection system and the department, including population growth and the strain of cost-of-living pressures.
It also discusses how extreme weather events can cause damage and disruption, contributing to increasing unemployment, mental health issues and alcohol consumption.
It says the "flow-on effects from environmental impacts may be an emerging pathway or contributor to child safety concerns".
'Never intended to be published'
A spokesperson for the Department of Children said the report, which was handed to government in late January, was never meant to be made public.
"As the report was for internal planning purposes, it was never intended to be publicly available," they said.
The spokesperson said the government has funded an extra 362 full-time child safety officer positions, which had reduced average caseloads from 21 to 16.
"Where there are vacancies or staff are on leave, demand and pressures are continually monitored and we have the capacity to redistribute resources across child safety service centres, as required," they said.
They said all allegations of racism are taken seriously and the department has is working to improve cultural capability.
