Other intake matters—record information

Record a limited intake response

Record a limited intake response when:

• the information does not relate to Child Safety’s core business
  and
• the information does not contain allegations of harm or risk of harm to a child
  and
• no further action is required, such as a report to the QPS under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 14(2), advice to an interstate agency about a child, or a review of the child protection history to determine the response.

Examples of when a limited intake response may be appropriate are:

• A caller seeks information about what Child Safety does or about services in their area.
• A parent breaches custody arrangements and there is no concern for the safety or wellbeing of a child.
• A child displays sexual behaviours within the normal parameters for their age. For example, a 15-year-old is seen on one occasion watching pornography on his home computer and there is no evidence that this occurs regularly.

To record a limited intake response: 

• Complete the limited intake response in Unify, providing a clear rationale for the response. 
• Forward to the senior team leader for approval.
• If the notifier is from a SCAN team core member agency, advise them of the intake response and the rationale. (Refer to Provide feedback to SCAN team core member agencies.)

Record an intake enquiry

An intake enquiry is the appropriate response when: 

• The information relates to child protection matters, but does not contain allegations of harm or risk of harm to a child or unborn child, and does not require any further action by Child Safety, for example
  • information reported by a family law court staff member—not including concerns reported in a Notice of Child Abuse, Family Violence or Risk
  • information requested by youth justice or another jurisdiction about child protection matters. 
• The information contains allegations of harm or risk of harm to a child or unborn child, but the allegations relate to extra-familial abuse, and a parent is assessed as able and willing to protect the child. Immediately provide this information to the QPS. (Refer to Report information to the Queensland Police Service.)
• The information relates to harm or risk of harm to a child in care or concerns about the standards of in care. (Refer to Record concerns about the standards of care or harm to a child.)
• The information contains allegations of harm or risk of harm to a child or unborn child, but the allegations relate to a child living in another jurisdiction, and the information will be given to that jurisdiction to decide the response. (Refer to Information about a child in another jurisdiction.)
• The death of a child is reported as
  • suspicious or non-accidental and the child had no siblings
  • accidental or there are no suspicious circumstances—a child protection record is still required for the family. (Refer to Information about a child’s death.)

Complete a child protection history check for matters that contain allegations of harm or risk of harm, including the death of a child, to help confirm that an intake enquiry is an appropriate response. (Refer to Check child protection history.)

Record the intake enquiry in Unify and submit to the senior team leader for approval.

The RIS or CSAHSC is not required to provide intake enquiry information to a CSSC.

Record concerns about the standards of care or harm to a child

If concerns are received about the quality of care being provided to the child, or about harm to a child in their care arrangement record an intake enquiry in Unify.

Send 1 email with the subject line ‘concerns received: SURNAME (of the carer or staff member)’ and include: 

• the names of the subject children
• a link to the intake enquiry recorded in Unify
• the name and contact details of each senior team leader (as below), and include their role with the child, carer or staff member

to RCI via the mailbox RCI@families.qld.gov.au and to each of the following, as relevant:

• the senior team leader in each CSSC responsible for case management of each child
• the senior team leader in the CSSC responsible for the carer
• a senior team leader in the CSSC responsible for the geographical area where the non-family based care service is located.

Telephone a senior team leader from each CSSC included in the email to advise of the concerns. (Refer to Procedure 8 Record and communicate the concerns.)

If the CSAHSC receives concerns that meets the threshold for a harm report and action is required before the relevant CSSC opens the next business day, refer to Concerns received by the Child Safety After Hours Service.

The CSSC responsible for the matter will complete all other tasks and provide feedback to the notifier if relevant. (Refer to Procedure 8 Establish who is responsible for leading the response.)

If concerns about a child in care are about harm or risk of harm experienced in their family environment, for example, during family contact, respond in line with usual intake processes.

The CSSC responsible for the response will complete all other tasks and provide feedback to the notifier if relevant. (Refer to Procedure 6 Establish who is responsible for leading the response.)

If concerns about a child in care are about harm or risk of harm experienced in their family environment, for example, during family contact, respond in line with usual intake processes.

Record duplicate concerns

All concerns received from a notifier are to be recorded. Duplicate concerns are concerns received that duplicate those previously received about the same specific incident or event. Duplicate concerns do not refer to similar concerns that relate to a further incident of the same nature.

When duplicate concerns are received, determine whether the concerns meet the threshold for a notification.

If the original concerns were recorded as a child concern report and that is assessed as the correct response:

• reopen the intake in Unify where the concerns were first recorded 
• add the notifier details
• create a heading at the bottom of the notified concerns field titled Concerns notified again and include
  • the date the duplicate concerns were received
  • what the notifier said
  • that the new notifier details have been added to the case.

If the original concerns were recorded as a child concern report and it is assessed that a notification is the appropriate response:

• record a new intake in Unify
• note that the concerns were previously recorded as a child concern report.
• follow intake procedures.

If the original concerns were recorded as a notification:

• advise the allocated CSO, if the response to the notification is still open
• open the intake in Unify where the concerns were first recorded 
• add the notifier details
• create a heading at the bottom of the notified concerns field titled Concerns notified again and include
  • the date the duplicate concerns were received
  • what the notifier said
  • that the new notifier details have been added to the case.

Record an intake with no identifying information

If concerns are received about a child, but the notifier is unable to provide full identifying information, make every effort to obtain:

• a name
• an address, or way to locate the child.

If an address is unknown, the Information Sharing Protocol between the Commonwealth and Child Protection Agencies allows Australian Government agencies, including Centrelink, Medicare Australia and the Child Support Agency, to release a family's last known whereabouts:

• to an authorised officer 
• in specific circumstances. 

Requests are to be made:

• via Data Management Services 
• only after all other attempts to locate a family have been exhausted. 

To make sure information can be linked to the child and family in the future, record information in Unify if there is identifying information (such as names) about a child or family, but no address or way of locating the child or family.

Do not record information in Unify if:

• there is no identifying information about the child and family that would allow the concerns to be linked with them in the future
• attempts to obtain identifying information about the child and family were unsuccessful.

Consult the senior team leader about where the record of information will be stored, if it is unable to be recorded in Unify.