Review carer suitability

The CSSC manager may decide that a comprehensive review of the carer’s suitability is required:

• when a carer has caused harm to a child
• when another person has caused harm to a child, and the carer’s action or inaction contributed to the child experiencing harm
• when there are ongoing concerns about the carer’s capacity to meet and sustain safe care for the child and meet the standards of care
• following a standards of care review, if the outcome is ‘standards not met’ and a more detailed review of the carer’s suitability is required
• in response to a change in carer circumstances that may impact their capabilities as a carer.

To decide whether to review a carer’s suitability, the CSSC manager will consider:

• the expiry date of the carer’s current certificate of approval
• previous standards of care reviews or harm report assessments, and reportable conduct investigations, regardless of the outcomes
• the seriousness of the concerns and the impact on the safety and wellbeing of the child
• recurrent patterns of behaviour
• the level of support and training provided to assist the carer meet the required standards of care and the extent to which these have positively contributed to improvements in the standard of care provided to the child
• whether there is a current reportable conduct investigation.

Plan the review of carer suitability

Plan the review in partnership with the carer’s family based care service and the  senior practitioner. As part of the planning process, decide:

• who will advise the carers of the decision and reasons to review their suitability
• the information needed to inform the review, for example, current medical information about the carer’s health, the views of staff from other CSSC’s with a child in the care arrangement, observations of services that have provided support to or worked with the carer
• how the views of the child will be incorporated into the review
• any additional requirements to be considered by the reviewer.

Complete the review of carer suitability 

The reviewer will:

• review the issues and concerns identified in the most recent carer assessment report, including the rationale for approval
• review previous standards of care reviews, harm report assessments and action plans
• review previous reportable conduct investigations
• explore the carer’s understanding of the standards of care and how they demonstrate these in their daily care of the child
• assess the carer’s capacity to gain knowledge and skills required to provide care that meets the standards of care
• take into account the support and training that has been or is being provided, including whether the carer achieved the required competencies and if not, the factors that prevented this
• consider any factors that may be impacting on the standards of care provided to the child, for example sudden changes in the carer’s household, serious illness in the carer’s family or a change in supports available to the carer.

Prepare a report for the CSSC manager recommending the required action. The report will specifically identify the standards of care the carer is meeting and, if relevant, the standards of care not being met.

If the standards of care are not being met, the report will:

• explore the contributing factors
• consider the impact on the child
• propose actions required to improve the care so that the carer can provide care that meets the required standards of care
• consider the carer’s capacity and willingness to gain the knowledge and skills required to meet the standards of care.

If the review identifies that the carer is unable to ensure the safety of the child or to meet the standards of care, take appropriate action consistent with the findings of the review, such as: 

• consider whether it  is safe for the child should remain with the carer (Refer to Procedure 7  Remove a child from a care arrangement.)
• provide targeted training and supports to the carer. (Refer to Procedure 7 Provide support to the carer.)
• take other action relating to the carer. (Refer to Procedure 7 Amend a carer's certificate of approval, Take action to suspend a carer's certificate of approval, or Cancel a carer’s certificate of  approval.)