Advise an external agency of the outcome

Child Safety is responsible for providing feedback about the intake response to:

• SCAN core member agencies (Refer to Provide feedback to SCAN team core member agencies.) 
• professional notifiers from government and non-government agencies, if they request the information
• the OPG in certain circumstances (Refer to Report information to the Office of the Public Guardian.)
• the Family Responsibilities Commission, in certain circumstances. (Refer to Send notice to the Family Responsibilities Commission.)

Advise a notifier of a change to an intake response

If a decision is made by a senior team leader to upgrade a child concern report to a notification, the senior team leader will:

• inform the notifier of the new response
• record the necessary changes in Unify, including the rationale for the decision. 

Provide feedback to SCAN team core member agencies

If concerns are received from a SCAN core member agency representative (the QPS, the Department of Health and the Department of Education) or their delegate, provide feedback within five business days of the information being received. 

To provide feedback:

• select the Notifier contact details in the record of concerns in Unify
• select Send feedback, to create an email to the notifier
• complete the relevant details in the email template and send the email. 

Feedback is provided by the RIS that decides the response to the child concern report or notification.

If an intake response decided by a RIS or CSAHSC is later re-assessed and escalated by a CSSC, the CSSC senior team leader will:

• re-contact the SCAN team core member agency representative
• advise them of the revised response and rationale. 

If a SCAN team core member agency representative does not agree with a decision to record a child concern report, refer to SCAN team child concern report consult.

Provide feedback to government and non-government agencies

If requested, give feedback about the intake response to notifiers from government and non-government agencies. Ask the notifier if they require feedback at the time they report concerns. Feedback is provided by the RIS that decides the response to the child concern report or notification.

Provide the notifier with feedback about: 

• the intake decision and rationale 
• likely timeframes for Child Safety to contact the child and family, if relevant.

Feedback is to be provided:

• during the initial contact, if the response is immediately evident
• when the intake response is decided
• as soon as possible if
  • it is assessed that the information is critical to the notifying agency
  • a safety issue is identified, for example, a parent threatens a suspected notifier
• verbally or in writing. 

If an intake response decided by a RIS is reassessed and escalated from a child concern report to a notification by a CSSC, the CSSC senior team leader will:

• re-contact the notifier 
• advise them of the revised response and rationale. 

Send notice to the Family Responsibilities Commission

The Cape York Welfare Reform operates in communities in the North Queensland region and the Far North Queensland region. These include Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale, Mossman Gorge and Doomadgee. The Family Responsibilities Commission is a statutory body that aims to:

• reduce welfare dependency 
• provide pathways to participation in the economy 
• enhance educational opportunities for members of their communities. 

All Child Safety staff are responsible under the Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 to give notice to the Family Responsibilities Commission when they become aware of alleged harm or alleged risk of harm to a child whose family resides in a welfare reform community. 

If a child concern report is recorded on behalf of North Queensland or Far North Queensland RIS, advise the North Queensland RIS of the child concern report as soon as possible. If the child concern report may be suitable for an active safety response, refer to Active support response. 

If a child concern report is recorded, and information indicates the family has lived in one of the Welfare Reform Communities for at least three months since 2008: 

• confirm whether a Notice about Child Safety and welfare matters for the family has been received by the Family Responsibilities Commission
• if not, complete a Notice about Child Safety and welfare matters and email it to the Family Responsibilities Commission
• attach the email and the Notice about Child Safety and welfare matters to the intake case in Unify.  

For further information refer to the Family Responsibilities Commission website.