Skip to main navigation Skip to main content

Check child protection history

Content updates

This page was updated on 16 April 2025. To view changes, please see page updates

To complete a child protection history check, consider and analyse all records of Child Safety’s contact with or about:

  • the child 
  • the child’s family 
  • other members of the child’s home.

A child protection history check can identify information the notifier may not know or may not report, such as:

  • important contextual information 
  • patterns of cumulative harm
  • risk, strengths and protective factors present in the family.

To complete a child protection history check:

  • access all Unify records and, where indicated, other relevant records such as SCAN team records 
  • conduct a Connect for Safety check, if there is a reasonable belief that a child or relevant person may have an interstate child protection history and information about their interstate child protection history is necessary to complete the intake decision (Refer to Procedure 2 Request interstate or overseas child protection history.)
  • review  the case history tab in the child's person profile in Unify) 
  • review all relevant documents 
  • analyse the extent, nature and outcome of previous Child Safety intervention with the child or family, including whether the history
    • indicates cumulative harm 
    • indicates a pattern of harm or escalating concerns
    • confirms or identifies additional risk factors, including 
      • a previous death of a child or serious injury
        or
      • a current alert, for example, a suicide risk alert.

Further reading

Practice guide Cumulative harm

Procedure 5 Information sharing.

Version history

Back to top

Published on:

Last reviewed:

  • Date: 
    For EIAA and Unify R2 release
  • Date: 
    For EIAA and Unify R2 release
  • Date: 
    Page created
  • Date: 
    Page created
  • Date: 
    Page created