Recordkeeping requirements for non-government organisations

The Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services (the department) is committed to working in partnership with non-government organisations (funded organisations) to keep records relating to children and young people secure and accessible.

Funded organisations are obligated to meet the specific recordkeeping requirements stipulated in their service agreements. Records may be created in hardcopy format, for example, paper documents are attached to a physical file folder, or in digital format using an electronic business system or network including an eDRMS (electronic document and records management system).

Organisations which are funded to provide services to a Service User who is known to the State through the administration of the Child Protection Act 1999 are required to:

• maintain an individual file for each Service User
• give the file or record to the department in the event that:

1. they cease to deliver the services;
2. the Service User to whom the file or record relates is no longer subject to the Child Protection Act; or
3. the Service User to whom the file or record relates turns eighteen years of age

Records about children receiving licensed care services

The Child Protection Regulation 2023 lists the records that a licensee must keep about a child receiving a care service under their licence, including:

• the child's name, date of birth, sex descriptor and culture of origin;
• the dates for each period during which the service is provided to the child;
• the name and address of the child's approved carer or the licensed residential facility where the child is living;
• details of any written complaint or standards of care concern the licensee receives relating to the services provided to the child and any action the licensee takes in relation to the complaint or concern;
• if the child is living at a licensed residential facility, details of any significant event relating to the child that happened while they lived there.

A significant event relating to a child generally means an event that is significant in the child's life, having regard to their age and circumstances. For example, a significant event may include:

• non-routine medical treatment received by the child;
• punishment received by the child at the facility;
• contact between the child and their family;
• the child receiving a school or sporting award;
• the child attending a funeral, tombstone opening or other event of cultural significance to the child.

Note: All other records maintained by the funded organisation (for example, carer and general administration files) are out of scope and must not be transferred to the department.

By transferring the files or records that relate to a Service User, the funded organisation will assist the department to meet its statutory obligations under an outsourcing arrangement to:

• maintain the records in a useable format and retain them for as long as required in accordance with the Public Records Act 2002
• ensure the records remain accessible in order to meet the requirements of the Right to Information Act 2009 and the Information Privacy Act 2009.

The funded organisation must contact the department prior to making any arrangements for the transfer of the records to the department. The contact details are as follows:

Email - Recordkeepingsupport@dcssds.qld.gov.au Telephone - (07) 3097 5910