Partners

The Queensland Police Service is committed to serving the people of Queensland by protecting life and property, preserving peace and safety, preventing crime and upholding the law with due regard to the public good and the rights of the individual. The provision of policing services is directly linked to the achievement of the Government Priority 'Protecting our children and enhancing community safety'.

One of the the Queensland Police Service key focuses involves Enhancing Community Protection through Partnerships and Project Safehands is a key initiative progressed by the Queensland Police Service in partnership with other Government agencies, business, and most importantly, the community.

The Department of Child Safety is dedicated to protecting children and young people from harm or who are at risk of harm, and whose parents cannot provide adequate care or protection for them.

Our vision is safe, confident children and young people who are valued by society.

Our mission is to:

• protect children and young people who have been harmed or who are at risk of harm
• secure their future safety and wellbeing.

We respond to families in crisis across Queensland 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Where possible, we keep families together, offering referrals to counselling and support services to help families help themselves.

We are focused on preventing children from being abused and neglected, and have specialized teams of people dedicated to working with families and children who are identified as being 'at risk'.

The Department of Communities has a vision to foster strong communities where all people are safe, valued and empowered, wherever they live, whatever their circumstances. The department plays an important role in the area of child and family support, providing leadership, developing policy, enacting legislation and funding services. The strategic objective for child and family support - promotion, prevention and early intervention - is to ensure that children receive quality services and families are supported to assist their children to acheive their potential.

The Department of Communities is committed to enhancing access to parenting information, education and child and family support services to support parents to give their children the best start in life. The department is pleased to be a partner in Project Safehands. Parenting children is important and rewarding, however, it can be challenging at times. The key message is that there are services available to support and assist parents in this most important role.

Queensland Health is a dynamic organisation committed to providing a range of services aimed at achieving good health and well-being for all Queenslanders. Through a network of 20 Health Service Districts and the Mater Hospitals, Queensland Health delivers a range of integrated services including hospital inpatient, outpatient and emergency services, community and mental health services, aged care services and public health and health promotion programs.

The Broncos were approached by Sen Sgt Charysse Pond who delivered a 'very powerful presentation' about the project. Her enthusiasm and commitment to dealing with this problem made it compelling for us to be involved. We approached Brad and Petero who as parents with young children, also embraced this very worthy cause.

IPSWICH City Council has given its support to the Safe Hands Project which will encourage the development of positive parenting skills in the community. Through this project we will be providing proactive assistance, support and education to families and new parents to equip them with the skills to safely look after their babies and toddlers. This collaborative project involves the Ipswich community, the business sector and all levels of government working together to support local families as they raise Ipswich's residents of tomorrow.

The University of Southern Queensland is a leader in flexible learning, has a significant profile in regionally relevant research and is closely engaged with its communities. Since its establishment in 1967, the University has retained its foundation values of putting the student first, building employment readiness in its graduates and building partnerships that enrich our communities. The University of Southern Queensland proudly supports Project Safehands, and is undertaking an independent evaluation of Project Safehands.

Telstra is the infrastructure partner for Project Safehands, in particular, and the Queensland Police Service, in general. We are delivering specialised Inbound services for this worthy cause and we are supporting the trial phase with technical and commercial support.