Evolve Interagency Services
About Evolve
Evolve Interagency Services provides therapeutic and behaviour support services for children on child protection orders and in out-of-home care who have significant behavioural and psychological issues and/or disability behaviour support needs.
Research indicates that children who enter the child protection system are more likely to suffer from varying degrees of emotional and behavioural problems than children who do not. Factors that can positively impact on a child's development are:
- competent parenting
- a warm relationship with a carer
- a better network of informal relationships
- better educational experience.
The service is a collaboration between Queensland Government departments responsible for delivery of child protection services to meet the requirements of children in care who have complex and extreme needs. It is a partnership between:
- Department of Child Safety
- Department of Education, Training and the Arts
- Disability Services Queensland
- Queensland Health.
The service comprises of teams of mental health professionals from Queensland Health (Child Safety Therapeutic Support Teams) and psychologists, speech and language therapists from Disability Services Queensland (Child Safety Behaviour Support Teams) who work in collaboration with school guidance officers and our child safety officers.
In 2006-07, Evolve was allocated funding of $3.7 million for Disability Services Queensland and $8.3 million for Queensland Health for the establishment of therapeutic and behaviour support services.
What does Evolve offer?
Children with challenging behavioural and/or emotional needs are at risk of, or have already experienced increased breakdown in their placement with carers, disruptions in schooling and lack of continuity in their relationships with peers, carers and other significant people in their lives. A referral to Evolve is aimed at assisting children to reduce the intensity and frequency of their problem behaviours in order to:
- improve their functioning and provide opportunities to achieve stability with their out-of-home care placements
- increase involvement in schooling and activities designed to facilitate their wellbeing.
A referral of a child may also be an early intervention and prevention action to address stress and trauma issues before they escalate into significant behavioural issues.
As part of the service, each child receives an initial comprehensive assessment of biological, psychosocial, and cultural factors and a functional assessment (for children with a disability).
A therapeutic and/or a behaviour support plan is implemented and monitored by the Child Safety Therapeutic Support Teams and Child Safety Behaviour Support Teams, together with the key people in the child's life, such as carers, family and school officers.
The services provided to a child may be for crisis or short-term intervention or long-term therapy.
Where are the services located?
Evolve Interagency Services are currently located in:
- Brisbane North (Redcliffe, Caboolture)
- Cairns (Innisfail, Tablelands and Cape York)
- Gold Coast
- Logan (Beenleigh, Beaudesert)
- Rockhampton (Gladstone, Central Highlands)
- Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore, Gympie, Cherbourg)
- Townsville (Charters Towers, Mackay).
Further teams will be established in 2007–08 in:
- Brisbane South
- Ipswich
- Wide Bay.
Further information
For further information about Evolve, contact:
- Contact person:
- Interagency Projects Director
Policy and Program Division
Department of Child Safety - Address:
- Level 6, 111 George Street
Brisbane Qld 4001 - Postal address:
- PO Box 806
Brisbane Qld 4000 - Telephone:
- (07) 3235 9628
- Last updated
- 30 May 2007