A Modern History of Child Protection in Australia: Queensland 1965–1980

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines child protection policy and practice in Queensland in the 1960s and 1970s, which was a period of major social change affecting relations between children, families, and the state. Using government annual reports from the period, the article traces developments in policy and service delivery. It discusses changes in two interlinked areas: the use of preventative family support approaches and the expansion of the professional knowledge base. Understanding the history of a policy field can facilitate critical reflection on current debates. The child protection field continues to revisit long-standing tensions about the best ways to safeguard children from abuse and neglect in their families, albeit in different ways. IMPLICATIONS It is important to recognise and value the social work profession’s strong contribution to building the child protection knowledge base. Many current debates in child protection are not new: since the child protection field developed in the 1960s, it has continually revisited tensions about how best to intervene to address the individual and social causes of child abuse and neglect. Documenting the history of a social policy field can facilitate critical reflection on current developments.