Young people who have grown up in residential care will drive change through Queensland’s new Ministerial Youth Advisory Board (MYAB).
Led by the Minister for Child Safety, Charis Mullen in partnership with CREATE Foundation, MYAB will be an invaluable forum for young people to share their experiences of residential care directly with the Minister.
CREATE Acting Deputy CEO Imogen Edeson said MYAB will ensure young people’s voices are at the heart of reforms to the out-of-home care system.
“From what young people have told us about their experiences in residential care, improvements need to be made to ensure a safe and stable environment for all children and young people.
The Ministerial Youth Advisory Board will be an incredible opportunity for care-experienced young people to directly shape changes to the care system.
CREATE applauds the Queensland Government for taking this action as part of its Roadmap for Residential Care. We are delighted to partner with the Government on this project.
We look forward to supporting young people to have their say and effect positive change over the coming years”, said Ms Edeson.
Applications are currently open for Queensland’s Ministerial Youth Advisory Board (MYAB). Young people aged 18-21 who have been in residential care in Queensland at some point in their lives are encouraged to apply before Monday, 17 June. Find out more here: https://create.org.au/get-involved/yp-committees-and-boards/
CREATE Foundation is the national consumer body representing the voices of children and young people with an out-of-home care experience. We provide programs to children and young people with a statutory care experience. We listen to what those with a lived experience of the care system tell us, and advocate with and for them to achieve systemic change.
About the Ministerial Youth Advisory Board (MYAB)
Nine young people aged 18-21 with experience in residential care will be appointed to Queensland’s first Ministerial Youth Advisory Board. They will share their opinions, ideas, and perspectives with the Minister about what it’s like to live in residential care and what would make it better.
The MYAB will meet four times over a 12-month period. For more information, please visit the CREATE website at https://create.org.au/yp-committees-and-boards/
*ENDS*
For further comment from CREATE’s Acting Deputy CEO, Imogen Edeson, contact Taylor Toovey, Communications and Media Specialist via (m) 0478 814 752 or taylor.toovey@create.org.au
Key statistics on out-of-home care in Australia
- There are currently around 45,400 children and young people in out-of-home (OOHC) care nationally (AIHW, 2023).
- Nationwide, only 67.5% of children and young people in care feel they could have a say ‘reasonably often’ and 15.7% reported that they rarely or never had a say (McDowall, 2018).
- Queensland has the highest numbers of children and young people in residential care, at 16.4% of the total OOHC population in the state, compared to an average of 7.3% for other Australian states (AIHW, 2023).
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people made up around 43.4% of the residential care population in Queensland in March 2023 (Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services, 2023).
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Child protection Australia 2021–22. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/child-protection/child-protection-australia-2021-22
Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services. (2023). Our Performance. Our Performance (cyjma.qld.gov.au)
McDowall, J. J. (2018). Out-of-home care in Australia: Children and young people’s views after five years of National Standards. CREATE Foundation.
