Joann Schmider: new Director for the Indigenous Support and Development Branch of the Department of Child Safety in Queensland

The following summary has been adapted from the Minister for Child Safety media release, 7 April 2005 and the Child Safety Reform Blueprint

The Department of Child Safety in Queensland recently announced the appointment of Joann Schmider to the position of Director for the Indigenous Support and Development Branch based in Cairns. The Indigenous Support and Development Branch was recently formed to support the delivery of Indigenous child protection services by newly formed or expanded Indigenous agencies located across Queensland.

Joann Schmider is an Indigenous woman with 25 years of experience in government and Indigenous community engagement, and a background in: human services for children; youth and family programs; education and training; human rights; and social justice. She has a diverse range of contacts in the Indigenous and wider community across Queensland and Australia.

Joann’s priority will be to tackle the significant over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the Queensland child protection system. Minister for Child Safety Mike Reynolds stated that the appointment of Joann was crucial to the implementation of reforms to the Queensland child protection system outlined in the Child Safety Reform Blueprint (view report – PDF – 2MB – large file warning!; view Indigenous specific section – PDF – 92KB). In the Blueprint a range of initiatives intended to improve the services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at risk in Queensland are described. These initiatives are designed to ensure that service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, their families and their carers are culturally appropriate, accessible, and responsive to their individual needs.

Image kindly provided by the Department of Child Safety