Child abuse cases rise

CHILD abuse in Cairns is among the worst in Queensland as the number of child protection applications climbs over 12 months.

A total of 1369 child protection orders were counted for 2017-18, placing Cairns in the fifth-highest spot for the state.

The region has jumped two places since 2016-17, when it ranked seventh.

A Department of Child Safety spokeswoman said that a child protection order was made by the Children’s Court if a child was in need of protection, there was no parent willing and able to protect the child from harm and the order was deemed necessary for the child’s protection.

“A magistrate must be satisfied the child has been significantly harmed or is at an unacceptable risk of significant harm,” she said.

Orders can be short or long, from two years up until the child turns 18 years old.

“The total number of child protection orders includes matters which may have included multiple interim orders for the same matter, so it may not reflect an increase in the total number of children on final child protection orders,” the spokeswoman said.

The 1369 figure includes 361 child protection orders, 17 extend protection orders and 989 interim orders.

These are slightly up from the 191 child protection orders, six extend protection orders and 920 interim orders tallied the years before.

There are different types of child protection orders, depending on the circumstances. A directive order requires parents to do or refrain from doing something to care for their child; a supervision order involves the department overseeing a child’s care; a custody order requires the department or a family member to be responsible for the day-to-day care of a child; and a guardianship order involves the court placing the department, a family member or another person as a child’s guardian.