Child Safety Practice Manual

• Introduction
  • Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women
  • Relevant legislation
  • Other key documents
  • Child safety service centres: staff roles and responsibilities
  • Framework for the participation of children and young people in decision-making
  • Respecting diversity
  • Delegations
  • Accountability for children in Queensland
  • Resources
• Framework for practice and maps
  • Practice maps
    • Child protection phases
    • Intake phase
    • Investigation and assessment phase
    • Ongoing intervention - Support service case
    • Ongoing intervention - Child in need of protection
    • Standards of care reviews and harm reports
• Chapters
  • 1. Intake
    • Key steps
      • 1. Gather information about the child and family
      • 2. Assess the information and decide the response
      • 3. Record the outcome and provide to the relevant CSSC or RIS
      • 4. Provide relevant intake information to external agencies
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 2. Investigation and assessment
    • Key steps
      • 1. Plan the investigation and assessment
      • 2. Engage the family and gather information
      • 3. Assess the notified concerns and the child's need for protection
      • 4. Finalise the investigation and assessment
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 3. Ongoing intervention
    • Key steps
      • 1. Decide the type of ongoing intervention
      • 2. Consult with OCFOS and make a referral to DCPL
      • 3. Undertake ongoing intervention activities
      • 4. Close an ongoing intervention case
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 4. Case planning
    • Key steps
      • 1. Assess and prepare to develop a case plan
      • 2. Plan for a family group meeting
      • 3. Develop the case plan
      • 4. Implement the case plan
      • 5. Review and revise the case plan
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 5. Children in care
    • Key steps
      • 1. Place a child in care
      • 2. Support a child in care
      • 3. Decision-making for the child
      • 4. Conclude a care placement
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 6. Intervention with parental agreement
    • Key steps
      • 1. Provide intervention with parental agreement
      • 2. Review an intervention with parental agreement case
      • 3. Place a child using a child protection care agreement
      • 4. Close an intervention with parental agreement case
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 7. Support service cases
    • Key steps
      • 1. Provide intervention through a support service case
      • 2. Review a support service case
      • 3. Close a support service case
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 8. Regulation of care
    • Key steps
      • 1. Pre-application
      • 2. Assessment
      • 3. Approval
      • 4. Renewal
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 9. Standards of care
    • Key steps
      • 1. Provide support to carers
      • 2. Monitor the standards of care
      • 3. Decide the appropriate response when concerns are identified
      • 4. Continue monitoring the standards of care
      • 5. Conduct a standards of care review - carers
      • 6. Conduct a standards of care review - care services
      • 7. Investigate and assess a harm report
      • 8. Action plans
    • What ifs
    • Resources
  • 10. General
    • 10.1 Decision-making about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
      • Key steps
        • 1. Enable meaningful participation in decision-making
        • 2. Arrange for an independent person to facilitate the child's and family's participation
        • 3. Refer the family for family-led decision-making
      • Resources
    • 10.2 Statutory obligation to notify the Queensland Police Service of possible criminal offences
      • Key steps
        • 1. Decide if a matter must be reported to the QPS
        • 2. Report the matter to the QPS
      • Resources
    • 10.3 Information sharing for service delivery coordination
      • Key steps
        • 1. Key principles for information sharing
        • 2. Decide when information may be shared
        • 3. Decide if stated information is needed
      • What ifs - responding to specific information sharing matters
      • Resources
    • 10.4 Providing adoption services
      • Key steps
        • 1. Provide adoption services
        • 2. Determine the primary case worker
        • 3. Supervise services delivered by the primary case worker
        • 4. Provide pre-consent counselling to parents
        • 5. Facilitate an adoption care agreement for a child whose parents are receiving pre-consent counselling
        • 6. Witness consents to an adoption
        • 7. Provide information and counselling to a child and consider the child's views
        • 8. Pursue adoption for a child subject to a child protection order
        • 9. Respect Aboriginal tradition and Island custom
        • 10. Respond to a request to provide one-off post adoption services
        • 11. Record information
      • Resources
    • 10.5 Recording sensitivity
      • Key steps
        • 1. Determine whether a person or event is sensitive
        • 2. Classify a person or event as sensitive
        • 3. Manage a sensitive person or event
        • 4. Review the sensitivity plan
        • 5. Manage sensitive records
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.6 Downgrading or deleting an approved notification
      • Key steps
        • 1. Consider whether to downgrade or delete an approved notification
        • 2. Obtain approval to downgrade or delete an approved notification
        • 3. Downgrade a notification
        • 4. Delete a notification
    • 10.7 Undertake the substance testing of parents
      • Key steps
        • 1. Overview of substance testing
        • 2. The substance test and test results
        • 3. Implement substance testing
        • 4. Implement concurrent assessment, monitoring and intervention strategies
      • Resources
    • 10.8 Responding to self-harming behaviour
      • Key steps
        • 1. Identify that a child is at risk of self-harm
        • 2. Respond to the child with a self-harm alert
        • 3. Review the self-harm risk management plan
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.9 Responding to suicide risk behaviour
      • Key steps
        • 1. Identify that a child is at risk of suicide
        • 2. Respond to the child with a suicide risk alert
        • 3. Review the suicide risk management plan
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.10 Warrant for the apprehension of a child
      • Key Steps
        • 1. Apply for a warrant
        • 2. Enact a warrant
      • Resources
    • 10.11 Staff safety and well-being
      • Key steps
        • 1. Implement strategies to promote staff safety and well-being
        • 2. Implement strategies to avoid client aggression
        • 3. Manage aggressive behaviour by clients
        • 4. Respond to an incident of aggressive behaviour
        • 5. Implement strategies to manage stress, vicarious trauma and critical incident stress
      • Resources
    • 10.12 Professional supervision
      • Key steps
        • 1. Implement supervision requirements
        • 2. Fulfil roles and responsibilities
        • 3. Develop a supervision agreement
        • 4. Implement the supervision agreement
        • 5. Record supervision
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.13 The video taping or recording of departmental staff
      • Key steps
        • 1. Implement actions when staff are video taped or audio recorded while performing work duties
        • 2. Implement actions when the personal details or footage of a staff member are inappropriately published
        • 3. Consider preventative strategies for enhancing personal privacy and safety
      • Resources
    • 10.14 Referring to Family and Child Connect or intensive family support services for early intervention
      • Key steps
        • 1. Roles and functions of Family and Child Connect
        • 2. Roles and functions of intensive family support services
        • 3. Referrals to Family and Child Connect or an intensive family support services
        • 4. Making a referral to Family and Child Connect or an intensive family support service
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.15 The role of the Child Safety After Hours Service Centre
      • Key steps
        • 1. Interface between the CSAHSC and CSSCs or RISs
        • 2. Make an after hours referral
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.16 Referral to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family support service
      • Key steps
        • 1. Determine eligibility for an ATSIFSS referral
        • 2. Make a referral to an ATSIFSS
        • 3. Action following a referral to an ATSIFSS
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.17 Complaints management
      • Key steps
        • 1. Intake
        • 2. Complaint management process
        • 3. Alternative response
        • 4. Investigation
        • 5. Internal review
        • 6. Privacy complaints
        • 7. Public Interest Disclosure
        • 8. Conduct and Performance Excellence
      • Resources
    • 10.18 Interstate and New Zealand matters
      • Key steps
        • 1. Overview of interstate and New Zealand matters
        • 2. Make a request to another jurisdiction
        • 3. Respond to a request from another jurisdiction
        • 4. Enacting a warrant
      • Resources
    • 10.19 Systems and Practice Reviews following the serious physical injury or death of a child
      • Key steps
        • 1. Actions following the serious physical injury or death of a child
        • 2. Participate in the review
        • 3. Actions arising from review processes
    • 10.20 Victims of crime and the role of Victim Assist Queensland
      • Key steps
        • 1. Respond to victims of crime
        • 2. Provide information to a victim of crime
        • 3. Make an application to Victim Assist Queensland
      • Resources
    • 10.21 Family courts
      • Key steps
        • 1. The family courts and child protection interface
        • 2. Exchange of information
        • 3. Assess information received about harm or risk of harm
        • 4. Respond to an order requesting intervention by the department - section 91B orders
        • 5. Undertake an investigation and assessment
        • 6. Respond to a child in need of protection
      • What ifs
      • Resources
    • 10.22 International child protection matters and the Hague Child Abduction Convention
      • Key steps
        • 1. Manage international child protection matters
        • 2. Manage intervention under the Hague Child Abduction Convention
      • Resources
    • What ifs
    • Resources
• Practice papers
• Resources
  • Forms and templates
  • Departmental Resources
  • External
• Structured Decision Making
  • What is Structured Decision Making?
  • Background to implementation
  • How do SDM assessments fit with professional judgement?
  • SDM assessments
  • Case reading
  • SDM resources
• Quicklinks
  • Acronyms
  • Glossary of terms
  • How to use the Child Safety Practice Manual
  • Previous versions
  • Printable version
  • Updates
    • CSPM July 2013 updates
    • CSPM February 2013 updates
    • CSPM June 2012 updates
    • CSPM August 2011 updates
    • CSPM November 2010 updates
    • CSPM July 2010 updates
    • CSPM February 2010 updates
    • CSPM July 2009 updates
    • CSPM June 2009 updates
    • CSPM May 2009 updates
    • CSPM April 2009 updates
    • CSPM December 2008 updates
    • CSPM November 2008 updates
    • CSPM September 2008 updates
    • Stage 9 updates
    • Stage 8 updates
    • Stage 7 updates
    • Stage 6 updates
    • Stage 5 updates (31 May 2006)
    • Stage 4 updates (20 February 2006)
    • Stage 3 updates (16 September 2005) (Note - SDM operational 30 October 2005)
    • Stage 2 updates (1 May 2005)
    • Stage 1 updates (7 March 2005)

You are here:

1. Home
2. Resources
   • Chapters
   • Framework for practice and maps
   • Introduction
   • Practice papers
   • Quicklinks
   • Structured Decision Making
3. Departmental Resources

• A guide to the placement of young people in therapeutic residential services
• Adoption Act 2009 (PDF)
• Adoption Practice Manual
• Adult household member guidelines
• Advanced training
• Attachment 1: Self-harm and suicide risk - identifying risk factors and warning signs
• Care agreements - Information for parents (PDF)
• Carer Business Discount Card
• Carer information sheets
• Child Health Passport - private and confidential
• Child Protection Act 1999 (PDF)
• Child Protection Regulation 2011 (PDF)
• Children and Young People's Participation Strategy
• Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service
• Complaints management policy (DOCX)
• Complaints management procedure (DOCX)
• Compliments and compliants feedback
• Confidentiality and privacy information for private contractors and panel participants (PDF, 27 KB) Confidentiality and privacy information for private contractors and panel participants (RTF, 7 KB)
• Critical steps in case planning
• Developing the goal, outcomes and actions
• End of life decision-making - Guide
• Escalation flowchart Department of Housing and Child Safety - dispute resolution re: service provision
• Evolve Interagency Services Manual
• Example of order to be made - Returning child to another jurisdiction
• Example of order to be made - Returning child to Queensland
• Fact sheet 1: What is provisional approval? (PDF)
• Fact sheet 5: Foster and kinship care - Legislative requirements for providing care
• Fact sheet 8: Foster and kinship care - Blue cards
• Family group meeting convenor handbook
• Finalise the strengths and needs assessment
• Flowchart - Requesting housing assistance from Housing and Homelessness Services
• Form 3A: Guidelines for completing assessment report - Initial approval only (PDF)
• Form 3B: Guidelines for completing assessment report - Renewal of approval (PDF)
• Foster and Kinship carer handbook
• ICMS Child Protection - Linking court orders
• Info kit for children and young people in care
• Information Coordination Meetings (ICM) and the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Team System Manual
• Information for Department of Child Safety - Department of Housing products
• Information privacy statement
• Information sheet for carers and staff members (PDF, 176 KB)
• Information sheet for children and young people (PDF, 178 KB)
• Intake prompt sheet
• Integrated Client Management System (ICMS) Child protection participant manual
• Intensive foster care program description (PDF)
• Interim Memorandum of Understanding between State of Queensland (through the department Child Safety, Youth and Families) and State of Queensland (through Queensland Health Child and Youth Mental health Services) 2010-2013
• Intervention diagram
• Intervention with parental agreement - Information for parents
• Interview resource: Childhood experiences (PDF)
• Interview resource: Ecomap (PDF)
• Interview resource: Family relationships (PDF)
• Interview resource: Genogram (PDF)
• Interview resource: Instructions (PDF)
• Interview resource: Interview with child (PDF)
• Interview resource: Interview with other household member (PDF)
• Interview resource: Interview with young person (PDF)
• Interview resource: Lifeline (PDF)
• Interview resource: Motivation to foster (PDF)
• Interview resource: Parenting styles (PDF)
• Interview resource: Statement of standards (PDF)
• Interview resource: Support in times of stress (PDF)
• Interview resource: Teamwork (PDF)
• Interview resource: Use of time (PDF)
• Interviewing children and recording evidence (ICARE)
• Key factors for the Department when considering the level of intervention in a Family Law Court Proceeding
• Kids rights: Charter of Rights for children in care (PDF)
• Kinship care program description
• Kinship care: A Literature Review
• Kinship carer initial assessment report guidelines (PDF)
• Kinship carer renewal assessment report guidelines (PDF)
• Listening, hearing and acting: Approaches to the participation of children and young people in decision making
• Long-term guardianship to a suitable person: Information for carers (PDF)
• Long-term guardianship to a suitable person: Information for children and young people
• Long-term guardianship to a suitable person: Information for parents
• Medicare information sheet
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between The State of Queensland through the Department of Child Safety and The State of Queensland through the Department of Housing 2007
• Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Education and Training and the Department of Communities 2010 (Child Safety Services)
• Memorandum of Understanding between Disability Services Queensland and the Department of Child Safety 2007-2010, Schedule 2
• Module 5: Maintaining client files
• Multicultural Policy and Action Plan
• My journey in care (PDF)
• Physical and cognitive developmental milestones
• Practice guide: The assessment of harm and risk of harm (PDF, 886 KB)
• Practice guide: Unaccompanied humanitarian minor wards
• Practice paper: A framework for practice with 'high risk' young people (12-17 years) (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• Practice paper: Assessment of foster carer applicants (PDF)
• Practice paper: Carer support (PDF, 502 KB) Practice paper: Carer support (RTF, 326 KB)
• Practice paper: Child sexual abuse
• Practice paper: Domestic and family violence and its relationship to child protection (PDF, 1.3 MB) Practice paper: Domestic and family violence and its relationship to child protection (DOCX, 3.2 MB)
• Practice paper: Engaging parents through case work (PDF, 250 KB) Practice paper: Engaging parents through case work (RTF, 111 KB)
• Practice paper: Engaging with families (PDF, 175 KB) Practice paper: Engaging with families (RTF, 95 KB)
• Practice paper: Family contact for children and young people in out-of-home care (PDF, 193 KB)
• Practice paper: Parental substance misuse and child protection: intervention strategies (PDF, 239 KB)
• Practice paper: Parental substance misuse and child protection: overview, indicators, impacts, risk and protective factors (PDF, 217 KB)
• Practice paper: Permanency planning (PDF, 945 KB) Practice paper: Permanency planning (DOCX, 257 KB)
• Practice paper: Placing children in out-of-home care - principles and guidelines for improving outcomes (PDF, 89 KB)
• Practice paper: Supporting children and young people in care through transitions (PDF, 154 KB)
• Practice paper: Valuing and improving educational outcomes for children in out-of-home care (PDF, 278 KB) Practice paper: Valuing and improving educational outcomes for children in out-of-home care (RTF, 115 KB)
• Practice paper: Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Practice paper: Working with children and young people in out-of-home care (PDF, 83 KB)
• Practice paper: Working with parents who demonstrate hostile and aggressive behaviour
• Practice paper: Working with people form culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (PDF, 489 KB)
• Practice resource: Approved carers - an overview (PDF, 225 KB)
• Practice resource: Assessing the progress of the case plan (PDF, 227 KB)
• Practice resource: Assessment of kinship carer applicants (PDF, 33 KB)
• Practice resource: Assessment orders (PDF, 27 KB)
• Practice resource: Bank accounts (PDF, 24 KB)
• Practice resource: Case planning - an overview (PDF, 429 KB)
• Practice resource: Child concern report responses and referrals (PDF, 85 KB) Practice resource: Child concern report responses and referrals (DOC, 78 KB)
• Practice resource: Child health passports
• Practice resource: Child health passports flowchart
• Practice resource: Children with sexual abuse histories (PDF, 52 KB)
• Practice resource: Communicating with the notifier (PDF, 57 KB)
• Practice resource: Comparison of the key steps for carer approval (PDF, 63 KB)
• Practice resource: Completing the Certificate of Approval (PDF, 27 KB)
• Practice resource: Completing the joint action plan (PDF, 59 KB)
• Practice resource: CSAHSC - profile and crisis intervention model (PDF, 25 KB)
• Practice resource: Departmental employees as carer applicants or approved carers
• Practice resource: Developing a cultural support plan for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child (PDF, 249 KB)
• Practice resource: DNA paternity testing
• Practice resource: Education outcomes for children in out-of-home care (PDF, 37 KB) Practice resource: Education outcomes for children in out-of-home care (RTF, 20 KB)
• Practice resource: Evolve interagency services (PDF, 38 KB)
• Practice resource: Explaining harm and criminal offences (PDF, 45 KB)
• Practice resource: Facilitating family contact (PDF, 44 KB)
• Practice resource: Family risk evaluation (PDF, 33 KB)
• Practice resource: Funerals and memorial services (PDF, 26 KB)
• Practice resource: Guide to supporting positive behaviour (PDF, 384 KB)
• Practice resource: Guidelines for departmental staff when providing information to the court regarding a domestic violence order application 
• Practice resource: Information gathering guide (PDF, 95 KB)
• Practice resource: Information sharing - case examples (PDF, 15 KB)
• Practice resource: Informing parents about the harm and the outcome - section 15 (PDF, 141 KB)
• Practice resource: Interviewing a child (PDF, 25 KB)
• Practice resource: Key concepts for the regulation of care (PDF, 320 KB)
• Practice resource: Legislative provisions in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with their families (PDF, 683 KB)
• Practice resource: Legislative requirements for the approval of kinship carers (PDF, 30 KB) Practice resource: Legislative requirements for the approval of kinship carers (DOC, 68 KB)
• Practice resource: Long-term guardianship - assessment factors (PDF, 45 KB)
• Practice resource: Long-term guardianship orders - a comparison
• Practice resource: Mandatory advice to blue card applicants (PDF, 133 KB)
• Practice resource: Meeting the statement of standards (PDF, 16 KB)
• Practice resource: Negotiating support arrangements for approved carers (PDF, 22 KB) Practice resource: Negotiating support arrangements for approved carers (DOC, 84 KB)
• Practice resource: Notifiers and mandatory notifiers (PDF, 266 KB)
• Practice resource: Out-of-home care - an integrated child protection response (PDF, 74 KB)
• Practice resource: Overview of referral and planning process with Department of Housing (PDF, 24 KB)
• Practice resource: Participation of children and young people in decision-making (PDF, 342 KB)
• Practice resource: Placement documentation (PDF, 37 KB)
• Practice resource: Placement matching principles (PDF, 267 KB)
• Practice resource: Placements with another entity - 82(1)(f) (PDF, 208 KB)
• Practice resource: Planning for and undertaking a joint investigation (PDF, 31 KB)
• Practice resource: Planning the investigation and assessment (PDF, 247 KB)
• Practice resource: Program of supports - long-term guardians
• Practice resource: Providing adoption services (PDF, 26 KB)
• Practice resource: Receiving Integrated Justice Information Strategy email alert information
• Practice resource: Recording notification information (PDF, 24 KB)
• Practice resource: Recording the investigation and assessment (PDF, 31 KB)
• Practice resource: Recording your professional assessment about whether the child is in need of protection
• Practice resource: Regional intake services workflow
• Practice resource: Respite options (PDF, 29 KB)
• Practice resource: Responsibilities - long-term guardians
• Practice resource: Reviewing the foster carer agreement (PDF, 30 KB)
• Practice resource: Safety assessment (PDF, 503 KB) Practice resource: Safety assessment (DOCX, 97 KB)
• Practice resource: Safety and support plans - young people frequently absent or missing (PDF, 205 KB) Practice resource: Safety and support plans - young people frequently absent or missing (RTF, 50 KB) 
• Practice resource: Schedule of criminal offences (PDF, 84 KB)
• Practice resource: School Disciplinary absence (PDF, 210 KB) Practice resource: School Disciplinary absence (RTF, 692 KB)
• Practice resource: Section 55 requests - Domestic and Family Violence Act 2012
• Practice resource: Standards of care - key concepts and definitions (PDF, 26 KB)
• Practice resource: Structured decision making - an overview
• Practice resource: Suitability decision-making for a new adult household member (PDF, 187 KB) Practice resource: Suitability decision-making for a new adult household member (RTF, 14 KB) 
• Practice resource: Support levels and behaviour characteristics (PDF, 51 KB)
• Practice resource: Supporting parents who have an intellectual disability (PDF, 33 KB) Practice resource: Supporting parents who have an intellectual disability (RTF, 24 KB) 
• Practice resource: Temporary custody order
• Practice resource: The authority to care form (PDF, 28 KB)
• Practice resource: The child placement principle (PDF, 78 KB)
• Practice resource: The role of a support person (PDF, 25 KB)
• Practice resource: The role of the CSO at intake (PDF, 161 KB)
• Practice resource: Transferring an ongoing intervention case (PDF, 49 KB)
• Practice resource: Transition from care (PDF, 59 KB)
• Practice resource: Unborn children
• Practice resource: Use of powers for a child at immediate risk - section 16 and 18 (PDF, 29 KB)
• Practice resource: Vexatious and malicious notifiers (PDF, 81 KB)
• Practice resource: Working with family courts (PDF, 36 KB)
• Practice resource: Writing an affidavit (PDF, 67 KB)
• Pre-service training
• Procedures and guidelines for Quality Care: Foster Care Training
• Protocol between the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia and the Department of Child Safety Queensland
• RecFind user guide
• Recordkeeping: Client file procedure
• Reporting missing children: Guidelines for approved carers and care services (PDF)
• Responding to people at risk of suicide: How can you and your organisation help? (PDF)
• Right to Information
• Schedule 2 Providing housing assistance to children in need of protection
• SDM: Child strengths and needs assessment
• SDM: Family reunification assessment
• SDM: Family risk evaluation
• SDM: Family risk re-evaluation
• SDM: Parental strengths and needs assessment
• SDM: Response priority
• SDM: Safety assessment
• SDM: Screening criteria
• Serious criminal offences
• Standard training
• Standards of care (PDF, 40 KB)
• Standards of care flowchart (PDF, 229 KB)
• Statement of Commitment between the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and the foster and kinship carers of Queensland (PDF)
• Statutory delegations
• Strategic Plan
• Strengths and needs interviewing questions
• Support Service Case: Information for young people transitioning from care (PDF)
• The case planning process
• The Child Placement Principle Prompt Sheet
• Transfer summary sheet - administrative transfer from Queensland to all states and New Zealand
• Transition from Care Planning Tips for CSOs
• Translated resources (Child Safety website)
• When Child Safety officers visit your home (PDF)
• Youth Protocol: An agreement concerning referral, assessment, case management and support for homeless and unsupported young people