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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:

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:

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:

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.

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Where are the services located?

Evolve Interagency Services are currently located in:

Further teams will be established in 2007–08 in:

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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

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Last updated
30 May 2007

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