On Thursday, 30 July 2026 I attended estimates hearings with the Education, Arts and Communities Committee, which scrutinises the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety of Queensland. I asked the Director General about the impact of blue card requirements on young people who have grown up in kinship care and require a blue card to continue living at home once they have turned 18.
I made reference to a question on notice I asked the Attorney General, which revealed that in 2025-26, 22 prospective kinship carers were denied a blue card, 14 existing kinship carers were denied a blue card (meaning any children in their care could no longer remain with them), and 14 adults living in a household where kinship care arrangements are in place were denied a blue card (meaning that if they were already living there, they would have to leave immediately).
Back in October 2023, the Queensland Family and Child Commission published a report which found that blue card screening processes were not fit for purpose when it comes to assessment of kinship care arrangements, and were resulting in adverse outcomes for kids and families. Reforms passed in 2024 would remove the requirement for kinship carers and adult members of their household from requiring a blue card; however, these reforms have not commenced pending the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety of Queensland establishing an alternative screening process.
You can read my exchange with the Director General below or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings here.
Mr BERKMAN: My question is to the director-general. I want to start by referring to information provided to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee that 14 household members in a kinship care setting were refused a blue card in 2025-26. As you would know, if there is a younger child in care in that home, that means the household member cannot stay there. Director-General, of those 14, can you tell us how many are young people who grew up in kinship care and were forced to leave their home upon turning 18 when they aged out of the system but did not have a blue card?
Ms Drew: I am not familiar with the specifics of that case. If I could get some more information, I might be able to provide you a more detailed response. I am sorry, but I cannot talk in detail to that.
Mr BERKMAN: If it could be taken on notice, that would be greatly appreciated.
Ms Drew: If you could provide me some more information, I am happy to do that. I would note, though, that, in terms of the kinship carer blue card reforms that have occurred previously under the working with children checks, those reforms continue to be implemented and further progress on that will be made through the subsequent work on the commission of inquiry.
Ms CAMM: Mr Speaker, with regard to that, I want to make a clarification on a point of order. Given our government’s policy position on the Queensland Protection Commission, the blue card reforms, the working with children reforms et cetera that the Attorney-General has announced, I do not feel we could take on notice to speak to one specific case. I actually think it would be inappropriate to speak to one specific case. If the member would like to write to me separately, we could perhaps seek further advice. However, in the context and timeframe we have, I do not believe we would be able come back on that tonight.