Grants up for grabs for child safe organisations

-The Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) is offering grants of up to $90,000 to help eligible organisations that work with children in Queensland to comply with new laws and become child safe.

-The new Child Safe Organisations legislation applies to more than 40,000 organisations in Queensland and will start to come into effect from October 2025.

-Organisations that work with children, provide services to them or facilities for their use will need to adopt the Child Safe Standards and the Universal Principle to become child safe and compliant with the new laws.

The QFCC is implementing Queensland’s new Child Safe Organisations Act 2024, which aims to build a culture of safety and wellbeing for all children across our state.

Under the new laws, organisations that work with or provide services to children, or operate facilities and spaces for them, will need to embed 10 Child Safe Standards and the Universal Principle in their processes, policies and practices.

The Child Safe Standards guide an organisation’s actions to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children, adopt strategies for continuous improvement, and protect children and young people from harm.

When organisations implement the Child Safe Standards, they must also provide an environment that ensures the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and Torres Strait Islander children, known as the Universal Principle.

The laws will come into effect in a staged approach from 1 October 2025.

To help organisations become child safe, the QFCC has launched the Child Safeguarding Grants Program, offering funding to organisations that need help to build their capability and capacity.

Eligible organisations can apply for grants across three categories:

1. Enhancement funding for organisations to extend the reach and impact of existing child safeguarding training,
   programs and services
2. Sector specific capability and capacity building packages
3. Readiness and awareness packages for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations

Applications are open now. Grants 1 and 3 will close on Monday, 7 April 2025 and Grant 2 closes on Monday, 14 April. 

For more information and to apply, visit: www.qfcc.qld.gov.au/childsafe/grants

Quotes attributed to QFCC Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford:
“These new laws represent the biggest improvement to child safeguarding in our state’s history and will help Queensland build a culture of safety and wellbeing for all children.

“At its core, this legislation will see organisations centre children’s safety and wellbeing in their policies and practices to prevent harm and abuse.

“We know that every organisation will be at a different stage of their path towards becoming child safe and will need varying support to meet their new obligations.

“That’s why I am pleased to launch our Child Safeguarding Grants Program, which will offer funding to support Queensland organisations build their knowledge, capability and capacity to prioritise children.

“We have almost $3 million in grants available for organisations looking to strengthen their existing reach and impact, build capability across Queensland, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to strengthen capability in cultural safety.

“I encourage every organisation to understand their obligations under the new laws and the changes they need to make to protect the safety and wellbeing of every Queensland child.”

ENDS
For media information contact:
Kirstine O’Donnell | Queensland Family and Child Commission
Phone: 0404 971 164
Email: media@qfcc.qld.gov.au