Quality Improvement Program

Improving outcomes for children, young people, parents and families

The Quality Improvement Program (QIP) artwork was created by Gavin Power, Senior Advisor, Practice Improvement. Gavin is a Juru man hailing from Bowen, North Queensland with South Sea Island ties to Santos and Tanna Islands.

This diagram demonstrates the QIP cycle and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process.

The Quality Improvement Program (QIP) model is a cyclical journey, led by the feet, which provide definitive direction, declaring the speed we travel.

We hold an understanding that change is only possible through the personal journey of our staff, our children, young people and families, our partner agencies, and our leaders.

The model takes on interconnecting phases. Our aim is to improve outcomes for children, young people, parents and families by strengthening our services. This is represented through our innermost circle. It provides a central meeting place where collective voices, views and insights of the community and the department come together to influence and foster continuous change. The relationship between the central circle and the outer active circles is reciprocal with information flowing freely between them.

Through these relationships we are able to identify our strengths and opportunities. Where an opportunity is identified we are able to take a closer look at our services and practices and where strengths are identified we continue to build on these and share good practice.

Through this process we actively engage with our colleagues, agency partners, and others (as identified), to discuss and gather data, information and feedback. Once this is completed, we reflect on this information and perform an analysis of the information. Our analysis informs and supports the formulation of a service centre improvement plan, providing a way forward to build our capability to implement new strategies, continue to embed skills and knowledge to strengthen our services, closing the loop by bringing this together and providing feedback through our ‘meeting circle’ to our colleagues, leaders, partner agencies, children, young people, parents, families and community.

Why have a Quality Improvement Program (QIP)?

The Quality Improvement Program (QIP) aims to strengthen the capacity of the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs to provide quality child protection services, recognising that to achieve quality outcomes for children and families within child protection systems there is a need for: 

These elements are all critical to a high functioning system that enables children and young people to be cared for, protected, safe and able to reach their full potential. This program leverages off existing teams and systems and brings additional capacity with a focus on operational and practice improvement, as well as data quality and system performance.

What is the Quality Improvement Program (QIP)?

The QIP is a series of activities designed to enhance the quality and effectiveness of service delivery for children, young people, parents and families within the child protection system.

  1. Ensuring quality practice and support that results in better outcomes for children and young people.
  2. Effective business systems that promote quality practice - focusing on leadership, staff training and support, stakeholder engagement, appropriate information sharing, financial management and complaints.
  3. Enhancing data quality and performance to assist Child Safety Service Centres (CSSCs) to identify areas for improvement and opportunities to enhance service delivery.
  4. Staff development opportunities which build leadership and the capability to better respond to the needs of children, young people, parents and families.

Quality Improvement Program activities

1. Continuous Quality Improvement

The Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process is a collaborative process with the CSSC to assess service delivery against standards and quality indicators. The process aims to identify strengths, areas of effective practice and opportunities for improvement.

All child protection service delivery units starting with CSSCs across the state will participate in a CQI process. This process will result in the development and implementation of a CSSC improvement plan to continue to build on what is working well and respond to areas for improvement.

2.Focused analysis

A focused analysis is an in-depth analysis of a specific area of service delivery to identify areas for improvement.

3. Priority analysis

A priority analysis is undertaken when a CSSC or a region identifies an area which requires additional support to improve service delivery.

4. Data quality and performance

A key activity of the QIP is to strengthen data quality and enhance the department’s capability in analysing, monitoring and reporting on the performance of the system.

5. Management and leadership development

A further activity of the QIP being led by People, Culture and Governance is to build the existing suite of leadership programs to provide targeted management and leadership development programs for child safety staff, particularly those in leadership positions. An example is the recent release of an online leadership course targeting senior team leaders. 

Quality Improvement Program - What changes might I see?

The QIP will help the department gather information, review current leadership, practice, systems and processes, and use data and analysis to identify what works well and areas for improvement. 

The implementation of the program activities will result in:

Continuous Quality Improvement process

A Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process is a collaborative process with the service centre or work unit to assess service delivery against standards and quality indicators.

The CQI process looks at what the service centre does well and areas for improvement. To do this, we gather information on work practices and outcomes for children, young people and families. 

The Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) team will talk with staff, young people, parents, carers and staff from other government and community organisations. 

We are keen to hear your views about what you think is working well, what are your worries and what do you think we could improve. 

To get involved in the process you can contact the CQI team at QIP@csyw.qld.gov.au to participate in a face to face discussion with a team member or you can fill in a survey online.

How can I find out more?

Email: QIP@csyw.qld.gov.au