3. Review the self-harm risk management plan

The purpose of reviewing a self-harm risk management plan is to ensure that planned interventions with the child have been implemented and have been responsive to their needs.

For ongoing intervention cases, the self-harm risk management plan must be reviewed, at a minimum, every three months, until the alert is closed in ICMS.

Review of self-harm risk management plans is not required for cases where the department is not providing ongoing intervention.

Where a child, subject to an open self-harm alert and self-harm risk management plan created at the intake or during an investigation and assessment, subsequently becomes the subject of an ongoing intervention case, review the open alert in accordance with procedures outlined below.

3.1 Conduct a review meeting

The review meeting is the forum where the self-harm risk management plan is discussed and evaluated, to determine whether the alert is able to be closed. As part of the review meeting, discuss and decide whether sufficient progress has been made in relation to the self-harm risk management plan actions to close the self-harm alert.

The review meeting will, where possible, include and be informed by the views of the child, parents, carers, service providers, and other people identified as significant to the child. For an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child, the recognised entity will be given the opportunity to participate in the review of the self-harm risk management plan.

Review of the self-harm risk management plan will result in a decision to either:

• keep the self-harm alert open and review and update the self-harm risk management plan, or
• close the self-harm alert.

3.2 Record the outcome of the review in ICMS

Keep the self-harm alert open

The self-harm alert cannot be closed if it is assessed that either:

• the self-harm risk management plan actions have not sufficiently resolved the child's risk of self-harm
• the child still meets any of the criteria for a self-harm alert.

When the self-harm alert remains open, review and update the self-harm risk management plan to ensure its activities, interventions or supports are relevant to the child and their circumstance.

Update the self-harm risk management plan in ICMS

Record the updated self-harm risk management plan in a new 'Case discussion/decision' case note in ICMS, titled 'Self-harm Risk Management Plan'.

In the new self-harm risk management plan record the outcome of the review of the previous self-harm risk management plan and the team leader's verbal approval of the decision to keep the self-harm alert open.

The updated self-harm risk management plan may replicate the details of the previous plan if there is no change to the way in which the child's self-harming behaviour or risk is going be responded to and managed.

Close the self-harm alert

The decision to close a self-harm alert and the rationale for this decision must be:

• informed by the outcome of the review meeting
• documented in a 'Case Discussion/Decision' case note in ICMS
• endorsed by a team leader.

Before closing a self-harm alert, ensure that:

• the child no longer meets the criteria for generating a self-harm alert
• the review of the self-harm risk management plan has considered:
  • whether adequate assessment has occurred in relation to the child and their situation
  • the effectiveness of case work actions undertaken and outcomes associated with interventions
  • the views of the child, their parents, carers and other significant people.

Record the team leader’s verbal approval for the decision to close the self-harm alert and the rationale in the self-harm risk management plan case note in ICMS. 

To close the self-harm alert in ICMS, record the date of the decision as the ‘end date’ in the self-harm alert screen.

The function of closing a self-harm alert in ICMS, thereby moving the alert to 'historical', enables anyone viewing the child's profile to quickly ascertain the current status in relation to the child's emotional or psychological well-being. The number of closed alerts is reflected in brackets next to the alert. Only a current alert will display as a count outside the bracket.