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Search Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
Child Safety Services
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
Chapters
1. Intake
2. Investigation and assessment
3. Ongoing intervention
4. Case planning
5. Children in care
6. Intervention with parental agreement
7. Support service cases
8. Regulation of care
9. Standards of care
10. General
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
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)
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Structured Decision Making
Chapters
Framework for practice and maps
Introduction
Practice papers
Quicklinks
Resources
SDM resources
SDM resources
Children's Research Center
Child safety practice framework
Information sheets
Introducing Structured Decision Making
Screening criteria and response priority
Safety assessment and family risk evaluation
Parental and child strengths and needs assessment
Family reunification assessment and family risk re-evaluation when a child is living at home
Practice tips and resources
Structured Decision Making manual
Completion of Structured Decision Making assessment by work process
Myths and facts sheet
Developing a safety plan
SDM Practice tips: The safety assessment
SDM Practice tips: Family reunification assessment
SDM assessment
Screening criteria
Response priority
Safety assessment
Family risk evaluation
Child strengths and needs assessment
Parental strengths and needs assessment
Family risk re-evaluation
Family reunification assessment
Case reading resources
Case reading manual
Case reading spreadsheet
Academic papers
The Children's Research Centre publications
Research-based risk assessment: Adding equity to CPS decision making
The improvement of child protective services with SDM™ - The CRC model
Last reviewed
20 April 2018
Last modified
4 July 2017
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