Breaking Cycles

The department in partnership with the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak on behalf of Family Matters Queensland, have co-designed Breaking Cycles – An action plan: co-designing, developing and implementing services with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families 2023–2025 ((PDF, 4.5 MB)) Breaking Cycles – An action plan: co-designing, developing and implementing services with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families 2023–2025 ((DOCX, 192 KB)) (Breaking Cycles Action Plan), the first of three action plans under the Breaking Cycles phase.

The Breaking Cycles phase (2023–2031) builds on the foundations for transformational change in the child protection system set under Changing Tracks, with a focus on changing the way that services are designed and delivered with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families to eliminate the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system in Queensland.

Breaking Cycles 2023-2025, through tangible, targeted activities and reforms under eight priority areas will significantly contribute to the Our Way goals and targets. The actions will be lead or supported by a range of Queensland Government agencies and child and family support services and will continue to build a reframed relationship between the Queensland Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families to meet their needs, safely reunify children with their families and successfully transition young people to adulthood For further information on the Breaking Cycles actions please refer to the detailed action plan ((DOCX, 497 KB)).

Breaking Cycles consultation finding reports

In March 2022, QATSICPP on behalf of Family Matters Queensland undertook community consultations and engagements across Queensland with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the community-controlled sector and organisations. At the same time, the department partnered with independent facilitator, Kristal Kinsela Consulting Pty Ltd to consult with Queensland Government agencies and non-Indigenous peak organisations.

Stakeholder engagements and consultations included:

• 950 participants were engaged through strategies involving 11 partner organisations and 25 communities across Queensland
• 69 individuals from 8 government agency partners
• 9 individuals from 7 non-Indigenous peak organisations
• 5 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations
• 13 individuals from the FMQ leadership group.

The Breaking Cycles Flagship Forum was held in October 2022 and brought together 150 participants from government, community, and the sector to agree on priority areas of focus, what success looks like for Breaking Cycles and proposed flagship actions.

The community consultation report ((PDF, 932 KB)) community consultation report ((DOCX, 776 KB)) and Breaking Cycles flagship forum finding report ((PDF, 2.2 MB)) Breaking Cycles flagship forum finding report ((DOCX, 3.5 MB)) provide good insight into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aspirations and actions needed to break the cycle of disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection.