Assess the information and decide the response

Assess the alleged harm and risk of harm

Assess the information to determine whether the concerns received reach the threshold for recording a notification. That is, whether there is a reasonable suspicion that a child is in need of protection, or an unborn child will be in need of protection after their birth.

To do this:

• analyse the information to identify
  • the abuse and harm
  • factors that increase the child’s vulnerability
  • factors that increase the likelihood that harm has occurred, or is likely to occur again
  • strengths and protective factors
• form a judgement about
  • the severity of the harm the child has or is likely to experience
  • the probability that the child will experience harm in the future, if nothing changes
  • the parent’s ability and willingness to protect the child from the harm.

Refer to the practice guide Decision making at intake.

Assess cumulative harm

Ensure the assessment of harm and risk of harm considers the effect of cumulative harm on the child. (Refer to the practice guide Cumulative harm).

If there have been two or more previous intakes for a subject child in the preceding 12 month period, the RIS officer will be prompted to consider and answer the following four questions: 

1. Does the new information challenge the outcome of the last two events?
2. Review how many reports have been received for the family, and are reports increasing in severity or frequency?
3. Are there parental circumstances or events that have remained unchanged or escalated despite identified supports?
4. Is there a likely impact on the child’s development, safety, wellbeing and/or belonging if nothing changes?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, decide whether the concerns, when considered within the context of what is already known about the child’s history, forms a reasonable suspicion that the child may be in need of protection.

If further information is required to make the intake decision:

• consult the senior team leader or senior practitioner
• consult the specialist services clinician, where relevant 
• the senior team leader will decide if additional information is required to make the intake response decision. (Refer to Seek additional information.)

Consider cultural knowledge

Ensure that cultural knowledge informs an assessment relating to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child. 

When making the assessment:

• be aware of your bias and privilege to
  • recognise how this may affect understanding, interpretation or assessment of the information 
  • reduce the influence of bias on decision making 
• apply knowledge of, or seek to understand, cultural factors such as traditional child rearing practices and kinship structures
• involve one of the following Aboriginal or Torres Strait islander persons
  • a cultural practice advisor
  • a locally convened panel process with relevant partners
  • a Child Safety practitioner able to provide cultural advice
  • a local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community representative – sharing non-identifying information about the child and family.

Consult the senior team leader or senior practitioner

A senior team leader approves the decision about the intake response to a notifier’s concerns. Consulting a senior team leader can happen at any stage of the intake process and is an important component of gathering and assessing information. 

The senior team leader will decide if additional information is required before the intake response can be finalised. This may include recontacting the notifier, seeking additional information from an external agency or checking Connect for Safety to determine if a family may have an interstate child protection history. (Refer to Recontact the notifier and Seek additional information.) 

A senior practitioner may be consulted for complex matters, including matters that involve multiple abuse types, emerging patterns of behaviour that may result in cumulative harm or multiple child concern reports.

If it is assessed that the notifier is a person who repeatedly contacts Child Safety, refer to Respond to a person who frequently notifies Child Safety of concerns.

Seek additional information

In limited circumstances, additional information can be sought to assist the decision about the appropriate response at intake, using the information sharing provisions of the Child Protection Act 1999. This is only to occur in the following situations:

• the senior team leader considers it necessary to assist with an outstanding issue or question raised by the concerns received
• and
• the information is able to be received within the required timeframes for making the intake decision.

If the information sought is about a person’s criminal and domestic violence history, refer to Request criminal and domestic violence history.

Request information from an external agency

Agencies can share information with Child Safety (Child Protection Act 1999, chapter 5A). If the decision is made to make a formal request, refer to Procedure 5 Information sharing and the Information sharing guidelines.

Request criminal and domestic violence history

A request to the QPS for a person’s criminal and domestic violence history is made under Child Protection Act 1999, section 95(3) or section 159N. 

The QPS may provide a written report of criminal history and a summary of domestic violence protection orders and conditions, about:

• a subject child’s parent (if they are an adult)  
• an adult member of the child’s or parent’s home
• an adult who may be a person responsible for the alleged harm.

To obtain a person’s Queensland criminal and/or domestic violence history:

1. Check by searching Unify to see whether there is already a record of the person’s criminal or domestic violence history recently provided by the QPS−only make a new request if new information is likely to be available.

2. Confirm with the senior team leader:

• that the request is needed to determine the outcome of the intake 
• whether an urgent request or a request for interstate criminal and/or domestic violence history needs to be made via the Central Screening Unit.

3. Use the QPS Self Service of Document Retrieval (SSoDR) portal. 

The SSoDR portal allows staff with relevant delegations to search for the Queensland criminal and/or domestic violence history of an offender (not a person experiencing violence) under the authority of the Child Protection Act 1999, section 95(3) or section 159N, when the information is critical for deciding whether to record a notification for a child. The SSoDR portal is only to be used to access information about a person 18 years or over.  

A RIS CSO will ask their senior team leader or manager to access the SSoDR portal. A CSAHSC CSO will access the portal themselves. Note: If there is insufficient identifying information to carry out a search in the SSoDR portal, such as not having the person’s full name or date of birth, seek these details from the local Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU). The request for this information is made under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159N.

Each time the SSoDR portal is accessed a SSoDR case note must be recorded in Unify with the following details:

• the date and time the portal was accessed 
• who accessed the portal 
• that the portal was accessed for the purpose of making an intake decision about whether a notification was required for a child
  and
• what relevant information was retrieved. Note: if the retrieved information is not relevant to the intake decision, do not record or print the information. In the case note record that ‘no relevant criminal or domestic violence history was available’. 

For further information about what to record, refer to the record keeping section of the Self Service of Document Retrieval (SSoDR) portal Operational Guidelines. 

4. Make a request via the Central Screening Unit. An urgent request or a request for interstate history under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 95(3) via the Central Screening Unit is only made if:

• criminal and/or domestic violence history is required urgently
  or
• interstate criminal and/or domestic violence history is required. Note: The QPS will take longer to complete interstate checks.

5. To make an urgent request for Queensland and/or interstate criminal history, or for Queensland domestic violence history information:

• Seek approval from the RIS senior team leader or manager.
• Complete a QPS—Urgent S95 Request (Business Hours) form, and
  • include that the urgency is due to the need to make an intake decision about whether a notification is required for a child
  • fill in all mandatory fields on the form. If information such as a person’s full name or aliases are not known, contact the local CPIU to obtain this information
• Forward the form to the Central Screening Unit. Note: the QPS will not process requests sent directly to them from a RIS.

The Central Screening Unit will:

• check that all mandatory fields are completed on the form before forwarding it to the QPS 
• receive the results from the QPS and email them to the requesting CSO.

To record the results provided by the QPS, complete the following in Unify:

• the additional information gathered section of the record of concerns tab in the intake case
• an information from QPS case note and attach or reference the information received.

6. Contact the local CPIU if, after obtaining information from the SSoDR portal, their advice is needed about whether further information about an individual or report is likely to be available and therefore, whether a request under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159N is required.  In particular this must occur when information from the SSoDR portal indicates:

• an open Domestic Violence Report is ‘unfinalised’
  or
• a finalised Domestic Violence Report has no information listed and the information in the report may be relevant to the intake decision. 

The request for advice from the QPS about whether to make a request under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159N is made under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159MB. 

Make a section 159N information request in Unify—only, if after retrieving information from the SSoDR portal or from information provided by a CPIU, it is known or suspected that the QPS may have further information about a particular individual or report.

Seek the approval of the senior team leader or CSSC manager to make a section 159N information request and record the date information was accessed from the SSoDR portal and the relevant QPS occurrence number. (Refer to the Section 159N request for information user guide.)

Decide the intake response

Once an assessment is made of all the available information, make the decision about the appropriate intake response which will either be:

• a notification (Refer to Notification.)
• or 
• a child concern report. (Refer to Child concern report.)

Decide the intake response within 48 hours of receiving the concerns from the notifier, regardless of whether you have been able to clarify or gather further information from the notifier or via a section 159N information request in Unify.

The decision to record a notification is made when the senior team leader decides the information meets the threshold for a notification. This will be the earlier of the following two actions: 

• the senior team leader verbally confirms the decision with the CSO. (Record the decision and the time it was made in the intake case in Unify.)
• the senior team leader approves the intake with a notification response in Unify.

Notification

A notification is the appropriate response if it is reasonably suspected that a child is in need of protection or an unborn child will be in need of protection following their birth, that is:

• a child has been significantly harmed, is being significantly harmed or is at risk of significant harm
  and
• does not have a parent able and willing to protect them.

This is often referred to as the threshold for recording a notification. 

In this context, harm refers to any detrimental effect of a significant nature on the child’s physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing. The harm may be caused by:

• a single act, omission or circumstance 
• a series or combination of acts, omissions or circumstances that may have a cumulative effect on the child’s safety and wellbeing (Child Protection Act 1999, section 9).

The response to a notification will be one of the following:

• priority response (Refer to Priority response.)
• standard response (Refer to Standard response.)
• safety and support response. (Refer to Safety and support response.)

Refer to the table below to decide for guidance about the number of notifications to record, and who is responsible for assessing a notification.

* If two notifications about the same matter are to be assessed by two CSSCs, the CSSCs will communicate and collaborate to complete the assessments and to minimise the impact on both households.

When there is an open notification for a subject child living in one home, regardless of the response (standard or priority) and concerns are subsequently received about the same subject child in a second home where they live:

• record a new notification for the subject child or children in the second home
• ensure all relevant children in the second home are recorded as subject children
• assess the situation in each home in accordance with the response assigned to the notification.  

Advise the Office of the Public Guardian

Advise the OPG that a notification has been recorded for a child in a visitable location.

The information must be provided, excluding notifier details:

• by emailing and telephoning the relevant regional visiting manager. (Refer to the OPG—Regional Visiting Manager contact details.)
• as soon as possible or within one business day. 

Priority response

A priority response is undertaken by an authorised officer and is an assessment of a child’s need for protection or an unborn child’s need for protection following their birth.

A priority response is the appropriate response to a notification when one or more of the following criteria apply:

• The concerns relate to
  • sexual abuse
  • significant physical abuse, including unexplained injuries
  • severe neglect
  • severe emotional abuse with indicators of significant impact.
• The concerns relate to domestic and family violence and one or more of the following apply
  • the victim-survivor’s perception of the risk is high
  • the violence is escalating in frequency or severity
  • the person using violence has threatened to kill the victim-survivor or the subject child (including an unborn child)
  • the person using violence has tried to choke or strangle (including attempts to smother or drown) the victim-survivor
  • the person using violence threatened to use or used a weapon against the victim-survivor.
• An assessment of the child’s need for protection is required. 
• A parent or alleged person responsible has previously been responsible for causing the death of or a serious injury to a child.
• A child has died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances, and a response is required for other children in the home.
• A child is subject to
  • an intervention with parental agreement case
  • a directive order
  • a supervision order
  • a child protection order granting custody or guardianship to the chief executive 
• An unborn child has been assessed as being in need of protection after their birth.
• There is credible information that indicates that a parent or pregnant person would relocate to avoid contact, placing the child or unborn child at increased risk of significant harm. 
• There are concerns relating to cumulative harm with indicators of significant impact on the child. 

A priority response for an unborn child is the appropriate response when:

• the criteria for a priority response is met
  or
• the birth of the unborn child is imminent, and the concerns and timeframes do not allow for the pregnant person to be referred for help and support.

Decide the commencement timeframe for a priority response

The commencement timeframe for a priority response relating to a child will be either:

• within 24 hours or
• within 72 hours. 

The commencement timeframe for a priority response relating to an unborn child only will be within 72 hours.

To decide the commencement timeframe for a priority response relating to a child:

• consider
  • the assessment of the notified concerns
  • information relating to the child’s immediate safety
  • the likelihood that the child will experience in harm in the near future
• review the relevant factors in the table below to decide whether one or more of the urgency prompts in Unify apply.

If one or more of the urgency prompts apply, a 24-hour response timeframe is the appropriate response.

To record a 24-hour response timeframe in Unify:

• select ‘yes’ to the relevant urgency prompt or prompts
• select ‘no’ to the urgency prompts that do not apply
• select ‘priority child protection response - 24 hours’ 
• provide a rationale for the response timeframe decision.

To record a 72-hour response timeframe in Unify:

• select ‘no’ to each of the urgency prompts
• answer ‘yes’ to the question ‘is this a priority child protection response?’
• provide a rationale for the response timeframe decision.

Standard response

A standard response is undertaken by an authorised officer and is an assessment of the child’s immediate safety and the family’s support needs. It may include a co-response with an ASC provider. It will include coordination of services to decrease the likelihood of the child becoming a child in need of protection.

It is not an assessment about whether a child is in need of protection.

A standard response is the appropriate response to a notification when the criteria for a priority response is not met.

To record a standard response in Unify:

• answer ‘no’ to each of the urgency prompts
• answer ‘no’ to the question ‘is this a priority child protection response?’
• provide a rationale for the decision for the standard response. 

Safety and support response

A safety and support response is a response to a notification that allows Child Safety to make a direct referral to an ASC provider, who will: 

• visit the child and parents
• complete a family needs assessment
• help the child and parents to access services that will address identified risk factors. 

A child or unborn child may be considered for a safety and support response if:

• there are identified strengths within the family that could be built on with the help of an early intervention service, to provide for the child’s safety or unborn child’s safety after their birth
• the child is visible within their extended family and community, such as at school
• it is appropriate for the service to engage with the family without Child Safety assessing the child’s immediate safety.

Advise the relevant RIS of the response

If a notification is recorded by a RIS or CSAHSC about a child who resides in another region and may be suitable for a safety and support response, inform the local RIS as soon as possible. It is the responsibility of the local RIS to:

• decide if a safety and support response will be undertaken
• contact the ASC provider to determine if they have capacity to respond to the family
• seek consent from the family for the response, if relevant
• refer the child and family to the local ASC 
• provide feedback to the notifier, if required.

Respond to an unaccompanied humanitarian minor

If a notification is to be recorded in relation to a child who is an unaccompanied humanitarian minor:

• record an Unaccompanied humanitarian alert on the child’s person profile in Unify
• immediately contact the interstate liaison and intercountry child protection team at Court Services by email ILO@cyjma.qld.gov.au or by telephone on 3097 5405.

The interstate liaison and intercountry child protection team will:

• advise the Department of Home Affairs as the child’s guardian, that a notification is being recorded
• confirm the child’s status with Department of Home Affairs
• identify the child’s wellbeing officer in the Department of Home Affairs and, if applicable, the child’s case manager with the funded service in Queensland.

Child concern report

A child concern report is the appropriate response if the information relates to child protection concerns, and there is no reasonable suspicion that a child or an unborn child is in need of protection.

Once a child concern report response is decided, either close the child concern report and take no further action or provide one of the following responses:

• Protective advice
• Referral to family support
• Active support response.

Close—no further action

This response is recorded when no action will be taken by Child Safety in response to the concerns received.

Protective advice

This response is recorded when protective advice is provided to the notifier and no other action is taken.

Provide protective advice to the notifier when:

• the concerns received do not reach the threshold for a notification
• protective advice may assist a family to address the concerns that have been raised
• Child Safety can provide information about
• available services the child or family can access voluntarily to meet their needs or
• managing family issues, that a notifier can pass on to a child or family
• it is not appropriate or necessary for Child Safety or another service provider to contact the family directly
• the intake response will remain the same regardless of whether or not they accept or act upon the advice.

Providing protective advice to the notifier may include:

• giving advice about responding to the concerns, for example, information about managing a child’s behaviour and information about normal child development
• providing ways of talking with the family to encourage and assist them to seek alternative means of support
• talking to the notifier about whether they are able to make a referral for the pregnant person, with the pregnant person’s consent, to another agency
• providing information about options for local support and services that the child or family can access voluntarily to meet their needs
• giving the notifier general information aimed at increasing safety for the child and preventing the need for Child Safety involvement in the future
• giving information about how to make a referral or accept a referral for support.

Where the notifier has raised concerns about the lack of disability supports within a child’s NDIS plan, encourage the notifier to talk to the child’s parents and Supports Co-ordinator if there is one involved. Any concerns about the adequacy of the child’s NDIS plan should be raised with the NDIS directly as per the NDIA’s processes for a plan review. 

A protective advice response may also be provided when a notifier is recontacted for information. (Refer to Recontact the notifier.)

Referral to family support

One of the functions of Child Safety is to provide, or help provide, preventative and support services to:

• strengthen and support families
• reduce the incidence of harm to children (Child Protection Act 1999, section 7).

The referral to family support response:

• will assist children and families to access prevention, early intervention and support services
• may be appropriate if
  • it is assessed that the family may benefit from access to support services
  • the child and family have had previous involvement with Child Safety
  • the child and family are at risk of progressing into the statutory child protection system.

If considered appropriate and the relevant referral criteria are met, refer the child and family to:

• a support service that is able to help the family address the identified risk factors
• Family and Child Connect (Refer the family to Family and Child Connect.)
• an intensive family support service
• an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Service (Refer to Procedure 4 Refer a family to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Service and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Services for a list of the service locations.)

Refer to the practice guide Offer support to the family.

Referral with consent is preferred. If the notifier is a parent and the referral was not discussed with them during the initial contact, attempt to re-contact them to discuss the referral. If the parent is not contactable or was not the notifier, make the referral (Child Protection Act 1999, section 159B(g)). The service will seek the family’s consent to work with them.

To make a referral: 

• discuss the referral with the senior team leader 
• complete the online referral form in the Queensland family support referral portal to
  • an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Service 
  • an intensive family support service
  • Family and Child Connect
• contact the service to discuss the referral.

Make a referral to Family and Child Connect only if further assessment is required to determine the family’s needs. If it is clear that the family’s need can be met by a particular service, such as Intensive Family Support or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Service, make a referral directly to that service. Contact Family and Child Connect to seek advice if unsure of relevant services.

Referral for a pregnant person
A pregnant person can be referred to an entity listed in the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159H(1), if appropriate. 

The pregnant person’s consent is not required to make a referral. The pregnant person has the right to decide whether to accept help and support from the service.

In addition, a referral can be made to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Service for a pregnant person with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander unborn child, when the referral relates to the health and wellbeing of the pregnant person or unborn child (Child Protection Act 1999, section 159H(1)(b)). 

Refer the family to Family and Child Connect
If the family’s need can be met by a particular service, such as Intensive Family Support or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Service, make a referral directly to that service. Contact Family and Child Connect to seek advice if unsure of relevant services. 

A referral to Family and Child Connect for active engagement is appropriate if the family would benefit from the service, and: 

• there is a child under 18 years, or an unborn child not currently assessed to be in need of protection
• without support the child or family is at risk of entering or re-entering the statutory child protection system
• the family has multiple and or complex needs—at least one family member has behaviours or circumstances that are negatively impacting on the family, particularly children
• the family’s needs have not been able to be sufficiently ascertained
  or
• further assessment is required to identify the most appropriate service to meet the family’s needs.

Refer the family for intensive family support
A referral to an intensive family support service is appropriate if the referral criteria are met, as outlined in the Intensive Family Support – Service Model and Guidelines (3.3 Referral criteria – page 21).

Active support response 

The purpose of an active support response is to provide families with access to a broad range of community-based services that can meet the family’s specific needs before they escalate to requiring a more intrusive statutory response.

Consider an active support response when:

• there have been two or more previous intakes for a subject child within the previous 12 months
• there have been fewer than three intakes in a 12-month period, but contact from Child Safety and a referral may benefit the family
• the family is more be more likely to accept a referral for support if contacted by Child Safety
• a pregnant person would benefit from support, but only if a referral to an entity listed in the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159H(1) is considered appropriate.

An active support response is not appropriate for:

• matters where a referral has been made to the QPS
• domestic and family violence matters, where contacting a parent may place the parent or other members of the home at risk
• concerns that relate to sexual abuse  
• a child subject to an open standard or priority response.

If a child concern report is recorded by CSAHSC or a RIS about a child who resides in another region and may be suitable for an active support response, inform the local RIS as soon as possible. It is the responsibility of the local RIS to decide and undertake an active support response.

To provide an active support response the RIS will:

• seek endorsement from the senior team leader or senior practitioner to initiate an active support response
• if required, contact other staff or services to obtain relevant information that will assist the contact with the family, for example, contacting a specialist services clinician if the concerns relate to a child with a disability
• contact a parent by phone to
  • ask for consent to talk to them about the information that has been received and supports that may be available to them
  • inform them of the nature of the information received and that while Child Safety is not doing an investigation, it is believed that the family could benefit from support
  • ask them about their cultural identity to help identify culturally safe and responsive services, where relevant
  • talk to them about the available local services and supports that can be offered and ask if they are willing to receive support from them
  • offer to facilitate or assist a referral to the service and explain the process to them
• facilitate or assist a referral to the service, if agreed to by one of the parents. The referral process will include a discussion with the service about any prior contact history by the service with the family.

To finalise an active support response:

• record the following in the intake case in Unify 
  • the actions taken or attempts made to contact the parent
  • a summary of the contact with the parent and whether they accepted a referral for support
  • details of any referral made
• submit the completed intake to the senior team leader for approval. (Refer to Finalise the intake matter.)

Respond to concerns identified as part of an active support response
If a parent discloses harm to a child during conversations with Child Safety or a service provider, immediately:

• advise the parent of your obligation to respond to the new information   
• finalise the active support response and close the child concern report
• record a new intake and respond in accordance with intake procedures
• report the matter to the QPS, if required. (Refer to Report information to the Queensland Police Service.)

Advise the relevant RIS of the child concern report

If a child concern report is recorded by a RIS or CSAHSC about a child who resides in another region, inform the local RIS as soon as possible. 

It is the responsibility of the local RIS to:

• decide if an active support response will be undertaken
• refer the child and family to a local support service 
• provide feedback to the notifier or SCAN team core member agency representative.

If a child concern report is recorded about a child who is subject to an open standard or priority response:

• refer to Receive new child protection concerns 
• advise the allocated CSO and the senior team leader by email.