Research

The Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety supports and invests in research to build an evidence base that informs best policy and practice to ensure Queensland's children, young people, and families are safe, thriving, and empowered in their culture and communities.

Research must be approved by the Director-General if it meets the definition of 'prescribed research' in section 189B of the Child Protection Act 1999 (Qld) (the Act).

The department's participation in commissioned and collaborative research is designed to ensure that:

• research contributes to our goals, policy and priorities as described in the Child and Family Research Agenda (PDF, 974 KB) Child and Family Research Agenda (DOCX, 249 KB)
• research is timely, relevant and managed in accordance with legal and administrative requirements
• risk to clients, staff and stakeholder safety is minimised
• the dignity of research participants is preserved
• we optimise our return on investment in research
• research meets community expectations and is conducted to high standards of ethical conduct and probity.

How to submit a research application

If you would like to submit a research application, please complete the Application to conduct prescribed research (PDF, 393 KB) Application to conduct prescribed research (DOCX, 430 KB) and send to researchandevaluation@dcssds.qld.gov.au.

If you have a research enquiry or would like to discuss your research idea with us, please contact us at this same email address.

Researchers who propose to interview departmental employees (including service centre staff), children in care of the department, their carers/families, or require access to data or information held by the department must submit an application.

The application will be reviewed by the Research and Evaluation team who may contact researchers seeking further information or clarification. Relevant areas of the department, including Child Safety Service Centres, will be consulted internally. Researchers are requested not to approach service centres directly.

Final approval of all research is at the discretion of the Director-General. Further information including timeframes for this process can be found in the application form.

Researchers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Child Safety Data 'Child Safety Data Overview (PDF, 194 KB)', to assess whether datasets available from Child Safety are likely to meet their needs.

Research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and families are disproportionally represented in the child safety and family support system, and research projects will likely be particularly relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Researchers should refer to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Lens user guide and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respectful language guide, and demonstrate how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and experiences have been considered and responded to in project development and design. Research should also comply with the Guidelines for Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities (2018)