In Plain Sight review and government response
The Queensland Government has released our response to In Plain Sight: Review into system responses to child sexual abuse.
The reforms set out in the response aim to:
- strengthen Queensland’s child safeguarding system
- improve coordination across agencies
- enhance the protection of children and young people.
About the review
The In Plain Sight review was undertaken by the Child Death Review Board. It examined how government systems identify, respond to and prevent child sexual abuse. It also considered how agencies work together to manage risk.
Using Ashley Paul Griffith’s offending as a case study, the review examined system-level failures and gaps across our child safeguarding framework. This included investigating the key areas of:
- early childhood education and care
- law enforcement
- worker screening.
Key findings
The review highlighted the need to strengthen how systems:
- identify and respond to risks of child sexual abuse earlier
- effectively share information between relevant agencies
- coordinate safeguarding responses across the system
- improve oversight, consistency and accountability in safeguarding arrangements.
The findings reinforce the need for a more integrated and proactive approach to protecting children.
Government response
The government accepts a range of recommendations from the review. We are implementing reforms to strengthen the state’s child safeguarding framework.
A central reform is to establish the Queensland Protection Commission (QPC). Combining key safeguarding and oversight functions in the QPC will improve coordination and capability across the system.
Establishing the QPC will also:
- improve information sharing and intelligence between agencies
- enhance regulatory and worker screening functions that support child safety.
These reforms will help to identify risks earlier and strengthen protections for children and young people across Queensland.
Read the full response to the In Plain Sight review.