The Orange Door and Family Services operate to assess well-being and are an easy entry point for families to access support services. They receive referrals and make independent assessments about families’ needs and promote early engagement with appropriate support services on a voluntary basis.
Community based child protection practitioners have a role in providing advice and assistance to a child and family of the child under section 30 (1)(b) of the CYFA following receipt of a report and completion of an Intake risk assessment where a decision has been made to close and refer the matter to a community based child and family service via an Enhanced Referral to The Orange Door.
Senior practitioner (community based) tasks
- If The Orange Door (or a registered family service) request a joint visit/contact for a child subject to an Enhanced Referral, register that request as a consultation ‘s.38 Consult’ in CRIS.
- Select ‘s.38 Consult’ from the drop-down menu in the ‘Add case’ section found on the 360° page. The consultation should provide a detailed summary of the request including the planning for the joint visit/contact.
- Close the consultation as soon as possible, preferably on the same day you register it after all notes have been recorded. Guidance is provided below about how to record a visit after it occurs.
It is important to enter all notes and close the ‘s.38 Consult’ in CRIS as soon as possible as this will assist Intake or After-Hours Services (AHS) to record a new report in CRIS if required.
- After planning a joint visit with the relevant The Orange Door or Family Services practitioner, the Child Protection practitioner should make attempts to contact the family and/or child to:
- Inform the family of the child and where relevant the child, of the role of Child Protection and The Orange Door or a Family Service;
- Inform the family of the child and where relevant the child, of the receipt of a report (s.28 of the CYFA), the decision to close the report and to provide advice and assistance to the family via an Enhanced Referral to The Orange Door;
- Inform the family of the child and where relevant the child, that their engagement with Child Protection is voluntary; and
- Obtain the family’s and where relevant the child’s, consent to participate in a joint visit.
To undertake the joint visit:
- Where prior consent cannot be obtained, consent must be obtained at the unannounced visit before participating in the joint visit.
- Check the house or unit number and street name is correct on arrival.
- If no one is home, decide whether it is appropriate to leave a note. A note on plain paper may be left with your contact details.
- Ask for a parent by name when the door is answered or request to speak with the parent of the subject child.
- Until it is confirmed that a parent/carer of a subject child is being spoken to, only provide the names of practitioners. Do not explain the purpose of the visit or mention of Child Protection. When it is confirmed that you are speaking to the child’s parent/carer, identify yourself and show identification.
- Ask who is in the house for safety reasons.
- Inform the family and, where relevant the child, that:
- Child Protection has received a report regarding concerns for the wellbeing of their child (s.28 CYFA);
- the wellbeing concerns raised in the report have been assessed as not requiring protective intervention but are best addressed through engagement with voluntary support services. It should be explained to the family that the purpose of Child Protection’s presence at the joint visit is to provide assistance and advice to the child and the family and advice to The Orange Door or Family Services practitioner;
- their engagement with the assistance offered is voluntary; and
- the Child Protection practitioner may take notes and that these notes will be recorded on the child’s file.
- Seek consent to proceed with a prearranged or an unannounced joint visit, noting that if consent is not obtained then a joint visit cannot proceed.
The Orange Door or Family Services practitioner will lead the discussion with the family about the assistance they require from The Orange Door or Family Services and to explain the services that they can provide.
Other than in legally prescribed circumstances, the name of the reporter or any information likely to lead to their identification must not be disclosed without the written consent of the person (s.209(1) CFYA).
Following the joint visit:
- Record on CRIS the details of the joint visit/contact as an ‘Advice and assistance s.30(1)(b)’ case note in the last Intake record for each child subject to the Enhanced Referral.
- Record the joint contact / visit case note contemporaneously, that is, as soon as possible and within 24 hours or the next working day.
- Ensure the case note contains:
- a record confirming whether the family were told that their engagement with the assistance offered was voluntary and whether they consent to the joint visit;
- the purpose and outcome of the joint visit;
- key issues discussed or arising;
- changes to wellbeing concerns;
- action taken or required;
- service plan developed by TOD practitioner; and
- reference to any other relevant information.
If you receive additional information which indicates risk to the child or young person, consult your supervisor regarding the appropriateness of making a protective intervention report for the purposes of commencing an investigation regarding the children.
Supervisor tasks
- Provide ongoing supervision and consultation.
Team manager tasks
- Endorse the risk assessment in CRIS should a decision be made to record a protective intervention report.