About 67 per cent of reported incidents of sexual abuse of children in care involve those in residential care, the Child Safety Commission of Inquiry has found.
The inquiry’s final report, From Pressure to Purpose: Reforming Child Protection in Queensland, was released by the State Government today.
Other key findings from the report include a 229 per cent increase in children in residential care between 2015 and 2025, and the cost of residential care rising from $300,000 per child in 2019-20 to about $500,000 in 2024-25.
The report by Commissioner Paul Anastassiou KC contains 52 recommendations and was handed to the State Government on 22 May.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Deb Frecklington said the state’s child safety system was failing the children it was designed to protect.
“The Commission’s findings are deeply concerning, particularly the evidence that a significant proportion of reported sexual abuse incidents in care involved children placed in residential care,” Ms Frecklington said.
“We will carefully consider every recommendation alongside the Child Death Review Board’s In Plain Sight report, as we work to rebuild a child safety system focused on protection, accountability and better outcomes for children and young people.”
The government is now considering the report, and a Cabinet Sub-Committee has been established to oversee the strategic consideration and implementation of the report’s recommendations and to finalise the state’s response.
The inquiry was announced in May 2025 and received almost 1200 submissions.
Read the report here.
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