Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services 
Queensland Government

Families Investment Specification

CONTENTS
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
Queensland Government
Families Investment Specification
1. 	Funding intent
1.1 	Purpose of the investment specification
Funding document hierarchy
2. 	Funding intent
2.1 	Context
3. 	Investment logic
Service Users
Domain
Service Types
Outputs
Benefits
4. Service delivery overview
4.1 	Description of service type
5. 	Service delivery requirements for all services
5.1 	General information for all services
5.1.1 	Requirements for all services
5.1.2 	Considerations for all services
6. 	Service delivery requirements for specific Service Users
6.1 	At Risk Families (U3050)
6.1.1 	Requirements – At Risk Families
6.1.2 	Considerations – At Risk Families
6.2	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence (U3113)
6.2.1 	 Requirements - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence
6.2.2 	 Considerations - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence
6.3 	Families — Statutory Service Users (U3310)
6.3.1 	Requirements – Statutory Service Users
6.3.2 	Considerations – Statutory Service Users
6.4 	Vulnerable families with children (U3330)
6.4.1 	Requirements – Vulnerable families with children
6.4.2 	Considerations - Vulnerable families with children
6.5	Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families (U3333)
6.5.1 	Requirements - Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families
6.5.2 	Considerations - Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families
6.6 	Referrers and Enquirers (U3340)
6.6.1 	Requirements - Referrers and Enquirers (U3340)
6.6.2 	 Considerations - Referrers and Enquirers (U3340)
7. 	Service delivery requirements for specific service types
7.1 	 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing (T313)
7.1.1 	Requirements – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing
7.1.2 	 Considerations – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing
7.3 	 Support — Intensive Family Support (T327)
7.3.1 	 Requirements — Intensive
7.3.2 	Considerations - Intensive
7.4 	 Support — Safe Haven (T331)
7.4.1 	Requirements — Safe Haven
7.4.2 	Considerations — Safe Haven
7.5 	 Support — Secondary Family Support (T334)
7.5.1 	Requirements — Secondary
7.5.2 	Considerations — Secondary
7.6 	Support — Targeted Family Support (T336)
7.6.1 	Requirements — Targeted
7.6.2 	Considerations — Targeted
7.7 	Support — Tertiary Family Support Services (T339)
7.7.1 	Requirements — Tertiary
7.7.2 	Considerations — Tertiary
7.8 	Support — Community Based Intake and Referral (T347)
7.8.1 	Requirements— Community Based Intake and Referral (T347)
7.8.2 	Considerations — Community Based Intake and Referral (T347)
7.9	Support — Assessment and Service Connect (T448)
7.9.1 	Requirements— Assessment and Service Connect (T448)
8. 	Service modes
8.1 	 Families service modes
9. 	 Deliverables and performance measures
10. 	Contact information
11. 	Other funding and supporting documents
Report - Community/community centre-based development, coordination and support (A07.2.02)
Quarterly output summary report
Community/centre-based  development
and support activities / events
Number of agencies
Number of participants
Comments
Report – Volunteer resource development and/or placement (A07.1.04)
Quarterly output summary report
Number of training and development session
Number of volunteers
Number of families supported
Report – brokerage expenditure - family support
(Organisation name)
Report - Wellbeing Domains
Report – Local Level Alliance
Report template – IS70 Qualitative evidence to supplement outcome measure (Optional)
Report – IS70 for T448 Closures and Referrals
Closures
Referrals
 
1. 	Funding intent	
In line with the strategic intent of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (the department), Families has been designated as a funding area to provide support to vulnerable families to prevent their children from entering or re-entering the statutory child protection system.
1.1 	Purpose of the investment specification
The purpose of this investment specification is to describe the intent of funding, the Service Users and identified issues, the service types, and associated service delivery requirements for services under the Families funding area.
This investment specification is a guide for service delivery for the Families funding area, where all service types contribute to outcomes. The investment specifications allow for flexibility, responsiveness and innovation in service delivery, enabling the right services to be delivered to the right people at the right time. 
Investment specifications form part of a hierarchy of funding documents of the department. Investment specifications are informed by the three broad investment domains described in the investment domains guideline. Refer to Section 11 for more information and links to the investment domains guideline and other associated documents.

Funding document hierarchy
At the top there is the Investment Domains Guideline , then the Investment Specification, then the Procurement Invitation Document and then at the lowest level the Service Agreement

The department’s funding documents underpin the business relationship between the department and the funding recipient. The investment specification should therefore be read in conjunction with the investment domains guideline, procurement invitation document (new funding), and service agreement for organisations that are currently funded to deliver a service.
2. 	Funding intent
Investment is provided to deliver services to families to improve the safety and wellbeing of children in their home and reduce the need for children to enter or re-enter the statutory system. 
These services have a child protection purpose and focus primarily on the care and protection of vulnerable children and young people. Services work with vulnerable and at risk families to strengthen their capability, parenting skills, and resilience to prevent problems from developing in the first place or escalating to crisis point in order to avoid entry into the statutory system or when exiting from the statutory system. A coordinated and integrated family support system offers families with multiple and complex needs adequate support to de-escalate issues and provide a safer environment for children and young people. 
In line with the department’s investment approach to improve the line of sight from investment through to outcomes, investment under Families contributes to the following outcomes:
•	children and young people are reunified with family and community
•	families improve their capacity to meet their children’s care, protection and development needs
•	families are supported to care for their children and young people
•	fewer children and young people in the tertiary system and in out-of-home care
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have access to support to strengthen their capacity to nurture and care for their children’s wellbeing, reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the child protection system.
2.1 	Context
The Queensland Government has committed to building a child and family support system with a greater focus on supporting families to provide a safe and secure home for their children. The department funds non-government organisations across Queensland. This is to provide support to vulnerable and at risk families with a focus on supporting positive family functioning and assisting families to effectively care for and protect their children.
3. 	Investment logic
Service Users
•	Statutory Clients; 
•	Referrers and Enquirers; 
•	At risk families; 
•	Vulnerable families with children; 
•	Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families; 
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discreet communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence.
Domain
•	Safe; 
•	Capable; 
•	Resilient
Service Types
•	Assessment and Service Connect; 
•	Tertiary Family Support; 
•	Community Based Intake and Referral; 
•	Intensive Family Support; 
•	Secondary Family Support (including Targeted Family Support); 
•	Targeted Family Support; 
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing; 
•	Safe Haven.
Outputs
•	A01.1.06 Information, advice, individual advocacy and/or referral; 
•	A02.2.02 Case management; 
•	A01.2.08 Counselling;
•	A02.5.02 Development of family/household management skills;
•	A07.1.02 Integrated Service System Development;
•	A07.1.04 Volunteer resource development and/or placement;
•	A07.2.02 Community/community centre-based development and support
•	A01.1.06 Information, advice, individual advocacy. Engagement and/or referral.
Benefits
•	Children and young people are reunified with their family and community; 
•	Families improved their capacity to meet their children’s care, protections and development needs;
•	Families are supported to care for their children and young people;
•	Fewer children and young people in the tertiary system and in out-of-home care
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have access to support to strengthen their capacity to nurture and care for their children’s wellbeing, reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the child protection system.
4. Service delivery overview
The structure of family support initiatives within the Child Safety stream can be viewed in light of The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) report, “Inverting the Pyramid: Enhancing Systems for Protecting Children” and the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children. The Families funding area provides support services to families along the continuum of need, in order for families to get the right service at the right time. These programs include Tertiary Family Support, Intensive Family Support, Secondary Family Support and Targeted Family Support. The Families funding area does not have responsibility for the Universal Support services. All “Families” funded services are directed towards vulnerable families, children and young people (0 - under 18 years) who have entered or are at risk of entering the child protection system. 
Family support services that operate at the tertiary level work with families whose children are subject to statutory intervention. These services aim to improve family functioning and increase individual capability and resilience so that it is safe for their children to live with, or be reunified with them, or if not, and they are living out of home, to maintain a relationship with their families. 
Most family support services are positioned within secondary services, providing support of varying intensity to families whose children are not subject to statutory intervention but are at-risk of entering the child protection system. The secondary family support system is three tiered delivering intensive family support, secondary family support and targeted family support.
Intensive family support is a consent-based program that responds to vulnerable families with children and young people (unborn – under 18 years) who are at high risk of involvement in the statutory child protection system. Families may refer themselves or be referred to services directly from Child Safety, other government agencies and non-government organisations with the consent of the family or from the Regional Intake Services and prescribed entities without the families’ prior knowledge or consent. 
Case managers work collaboratively with families to identify and prioritise their presenting needs and provide intensive support interventions and engagement with specialist services.  A key feature of Intensive Family Support services is that they use a lead case management approach to respond to the complexity of Service Users’ needs and identify a range of appropriate interventions in response to this complexity then manage access and engagement with these interventions through a case plan.
Secondary family support services are aimed at averting crisis and/or the need for a tertiary response or in some cases supporting families to re-establish themselves following a tertiary or crisis intervention. These services work collaboratively with families to provide needs assessment, case management, practical in-home support, individual and family counselling, and specialist services as required. This maximises the assistance to the family, as case management is provided within an integrated service system.
Targeted family support services are secondary services that target a specific group (young people, pregnant women or cultural group etc.) within the community to deliver case management, or are available to the entire target group offering a single service, such as counselling, community development, family and household management development or volunteer recruitment and development. 

The table below provides an overview of the services users and service delivery types within the Families funding area. This is not an exhaustive list; the department may from time to time update this investment specification in response to evidence and changing needs to invest in additional service delivery responses, or different combinations of responses. Please refer to the most up to date version of this investment specification (see Section 11 for web links).
Service Users	Services Types	
At risk families (U3050)	Support - Intensive Family Support (T327)	
	Support - Community Based Intake and Referral  (T347)	
	Support – Assessment and Service Connect (T448)	
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence (U3113)	Support - Safe Haven (T331)	
Statutory Service Users (U3310)	Support - Tertiary Family Support (T339)	
	Safe Houses - Refer Child Protection (Placement Services) Investment Specification (T207).	
Vulnerable families with children (U3330)	Support - Secondary Family Support (T334)	
	Support - Targeted Family Support (T336)	
Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families (U3333)	Support - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing (T313)	
Referrers and enquirers (U3340)	Support - Community Based Intake and Referral  (T347)	

4.1 	Description of service type
Support Services improve the capability, resilience, and safety of vulnerable Queenslanders, and provide a range of responses to support Service Users.  The service types in Section 7 provide details of the range of supports provided to Service Users under Support Services for the Families funding area.
5. 	Service delivery requirements for all services
5.1 	General information for all services
Services that are funded under the Families funding area must comply with the relevant statements under the headings of “Requirements” as specified in the Service Agreement. Services should also have regard to the relevant best practice statements and guidance provided under the headings of “Considerations”.
Requirements for all services are outlined in Section 5.1.1. Service delivery requirements for specific Service Users and service types are outlined in Sections 6 and 7 below.
5.1.1 	Requirements for all services
Accessibility
•	Where an organisation is unable to provide a service to a person due to ineligibility or lack of capacity, there must be processes in place to refer the person to an appropriate alternative service. This can include providing an assisted referral or adequate support to the family to ensure engagement.
•	Services must not exclude Service Users with challenging or complex behaviours; rather they must develop alternative processes for managing these Service Users.
•	Services will use a variety of strategies to engage hard-to-reach families, in particular Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds including the engagement of interpreters and translators where required.
•	The department supports fee-free access to interpreters for funded service providers and clients from non-English speaking backgrounds who have difficulties communicating in English. 
•	To access a telephone interpreter you need to first apply for a Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) code at this email address: interpreting.services@communities.qld.gov.au 
Once your service has a TIS code, you quote this code each time you book TIS for interpreting services and TIS will bill the department.
•	If you require the services of Deaf Services Qld your service should proceed with engagement and invoicing. This confirms that the services require were met. 
Following the provision of the service and invoicing from Deaf Services Qld you will then need to seek re-imbursement from the Department. To do this your service will need to then invoice the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services by sending the invoice to: interpreting.services@communities.qld.gov.au and providing either the original invoice your service and Deaf Services or a copy of a paid invoice. Upon receipt of the invoice and supporting document/s it will be checked and processed. 
If you require any further information about interpreter services there are fact sheets available at:
https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/funding-and-grants/non-government-organisation-access-to-interpreting-services
Workforce competency
•	Staff teams must be appropriately trained and culturally and professionally diverse (where possible), and have the appropriate skills to meet the complex needs of the target group.
•	Counselling staff must be highly skilled, and hold relevant qualifications. Funded organisations are responsible for the recruitment of appropriately qualified staff, provision of appropriate induction, ongoing training and development and professional supervision of these staff.
•	The service must ensure staff are provided with adequate supervision and with training and networking opportunities to enhance professional development and improve Service User outcomes.
Service delivery
•	If a service is offering support to a family and Child Safety begins an investigation, the service may continue to work with the family. However, if as the result of the investigation an ongoing statutory response is deemed appropriate, the service must immediately transition lead case management to Child Safety.
Output delivery
•	The actual level of service outputs delivered and their alignment with the capacity for which the service is funded, will be assessed regularly by departmental staff.  Where a service is unable to achieve the level of outputs for which they are funded, which might occur for a range of reasons, the service should alert the department to this matter as soon as possible.
•	Where a service is unable to deliver outputs to the level of funded capacity agreed to in the Service Agreement, the department will require a practical action plan which demonstrates how the service will be able to achieve its funded capacity within a realistic timeframe.  If a service consistently delivers outputs below its level of funded capacity, the department will seek to renegotiate the service’s funded capacity to a more achievable level.
Networking
•	The service must participate in existing networks and/or establish and maintain networks and partnerships within the local community and with a broad range of family support and universal services.
Practice principles
•	All family support services must adopt the following practice principles to provide best practice and positive outcomes for vulnerable families with children and young people: 
•	Valuing and supporting families as the primary place of nurturing for children.  
­	The best way to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people and to protect them from harm is by supporting families to care safely for their children at home and by creating safe and supportive communities.
•	Building on strengths.  
­	Support and intervention builds on the strengths of the child, family and community, enhances capacity and resilience and addresses identified risks and/or problems.  Service providers work collaboratively and in partnership with children, families, communities and other service providers where appropriate, to develop case plans and to make decisions.
•	Respecting and responding to family and community diversity and strengthening culture and connections.  
­	Family and cultural background has a strong bearing on the ways families and communities approach childrearing.  Support and intervention respects and responds to diversity and promotes culture as a resource, seeking to build on the strengths and protective factors which particular cultural backgrounds may provide.    
•	Holistic and integrated policy and practice.  
­	A holistic and integrated approach to service provision offers the greatest chance of longer-term success.  In partnership with non-government organisations, government plays a leading role in bringing together relevant stakeholders and supporting genuine collaboration throughout planning, implementation, partnership development and evaluation.  
•	Evidence-based policy and practice.  
­	Support and intervention is outcome driven and reflects contemporary research and evidence on what works best to achieve desired outcomes.  Where appropriate, consideration is given to targeting activities and interventions toward the early years and other critical transition points to maximise investment and outcomes.  
•	Purposeful, planned and matched to need.  
­	Supports and interventions are goal orientated and planned, within a sound theory of change. They are carefully coordinated and individually tailored to the specific nature and source of family difficulties. Parent engagement is maximised through family support based on goals that are specific and interventions that are well coordinated. 
•	Relationship-based.  
­	Relationships are vital to service delivery. Workers aim for a therapeutic role and strive to develop a structured helping alliance with family members. Interventions should be delivered by appropriately trained, research informed and skilled staff, backed up by good management and supervision. 
•	Tangible and non-tangible forms of assistance. 
­	A mix of practical, personal development, therapeutic and enabling services are utilised as appropriate: 
o	practical services address a specific need in the family, such as transport to medical appointments, establishing daily routines related to meals or getting to school or respite care
o	personal support and development including information and advice, parenting skills courses, budgeting and household skills development
o	clinical or therapeutic services include casework, counselling, emotional support, family mediation, anger management, development of social supports
o	enabling services to link the family to other supports via referral and advocacy (e.g. assist with access to housing, child care, emergency relief payment, rental assistance) and case management to coordinate service delivery. 
Source: Professor Clare Tilbury, Griffith University
•	Referral engagement and participation. 
­	Services focus attention on engaging families through the skills and persistence of their workers. The match between Service User need and services provided is considered crucial – if Service Users perceive the service is helpful they are more likely to stay engaged. Workers develop a partnership approach with parents that endorse parental responsibility. Multiple pathways in to the service are utilised to encourage self-referral (where available) and reduce stigma for families.
­	Where families are referred by Child Safety, either Regional Intake Service (RIS) or a Child Safety Service Centre (CSSC), and the family refuses to engage with the service, services must advise the referring CSSC or RIS of the family declining to the offer of support. 
5.1.2 	Considerations for all services
Departmental policies and procedures including, but not limited to: 
•	Child Safety Practice Manual 
Workforce competency
•	Services should employ staff who are appropriately qualified/experienced in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
Cultural capability for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families 
•	All family support services should apply the following principles to effectively respond to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families.
•	Valuing culture - Recognising, respecting and valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures is fundamental.
•	Leadership and accountability - All leaders are accountable for demonstrating and promoting cultural capability within the sector.
•	Building cultural capability to improve economic participation - Building the sector’s cultural capability to improve services and facilitate sustainable employment outcomes will lead to greater economic prosperity.
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement and stronger partnerships - Sustained, respectful and inclusive engagement is essential to gaining an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
•	Culturally responsive systems and services - Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the design, delivery and evaluation of policy, programs and services will lead to better outcomes. 
Source: Qld Government Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural capability framework 2014 

Assessment Tool
•	Service User assessment tools are used to determine a Service User’s need. These tools are generally used during the intake or initial contact with the Service User as well as periodically to assess and re-assess the ongoing needs of the Service User. Services may wish to use Wellbeing Domains - Needs Identification/Assessment Record (Attachment 4) as the Service User assessment tool to determine the level of Service User improvement to report on the deliverable Outcomes Measures.
Single Case Plan
•	Services should consider collaborative case management, and integrated service planning and delivery, especially for the most complex and vulnerable families where a lead professional provides a single point of contact for complex families and the development of a single case plan.
•	Collaborative case management is used when a family or individual requires support from more than one practitioner or agency to respond to multiple, complex and/or interrelated needs. Services work together to plan and deliver services to clients and a case manager/lead professional works to ensure that the client receives the right mix of services, in the right order and at the right time. 
•	Single case plan is a method of service integration where services work collaboratively to plan and deliver services to individual clients. Initial engagement with the family includes identifying which agencies or supports are already in place and negotiating which service is best placed to lead the single case plan.
•	The case manager develops a trusting relationship with the family, identifies needs and works to address issues using a case plan. The provision of regular individual or family support, access to other specialist services and brokerage funds as well as the provision of ongoing practical assistance are critical to the success of the approach.
•	An exit plan will be developed as part of case planning clearly identifying how the family will transition, or step down, from intensive family support of the end of the intervention. 

6. 	Service delivery requirements for specific Service Users
6.1 	At Risk Families (U3050)
Definition
•	Families with children and young people under 18 years, including unborn children, who are at high risk of entering or re-entering the statutory child protection system.
6.1.1 	Requirements – At Risk Families
•	Service Users are families with children and young people under 18 years, including unborn children, who are at high risk of entering or re-entering the statutory child protection system.
•	The family would benefit from access to family support interventions and/or referral to specialist support services.
•	The child and family’s circumstances or risk factors are likely to escalate if they do not receive support. 
•	The child is not currently in need of ongoing Child Safety intervention.
•	Long term guardians may seek support from a family support service where it is assessed that the required support can be provided by an IFS/FIS service and where the child is not the subject of current case work being undertaken by the department
6.1.2 	Considerations – At Risk Families
•	The family may have medium to high complex needs
•	In some circumstances (e.g. impending reunification, one child in a family is on statutory orders but other children in the same family are not, or while an investigation is being completed) where continued support by the service is appropriate despite the family being referred or within the statutory system. The appropriateness of IFS working with these families will be determined on a case by case basis through negotiation with the Intensive Family Support service, Regional Contract Manager, Child Safety Services and the Commissioning area. 
6.2	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence (U3113)
Definition
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with children and young people under 18 years in three discrete Indigenous communities (Mornington Island, Cherbourg, Palm Island) who have experienced or witnessed domestic violence.
6.2.1 		Requirements - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence
•	A member of the family identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
•	families with children and young people under 18 years in three discrete Indigenous communities (Mornington Island, Cherbourg, Palm Island) who have experienced or witnessed domestic violence.
6.2.2 		Considerations - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence
Nil.
6.3 	Families — Statutory Service Users (U3310)
Definition
•	Families with children and young people under 18 years, including unborn children, who have experienced abuse and/or neglect and as a result Child Safety has determined the child/ren is/are in need of protection and are therefore in the statutory child protection system.
6.3.1 	Requirements – Statutory Service Users
•	Statutory service users are families with children and/or young people under 18 years, including unborn children, who have experienced abuse and/or neglect and as a result Child Safety has determined the child/ren is/are in need of protection and are therefore in the statutory child protection system.
•	Families must be working with or recently ceased working with Child Safety Services on an Intervention with Parental Agreement or a Court Order. 
•	Service Users are parents and other immediate family members in a direct caring role of children who are referred exclusively by Child Safety Services when:
A.	The case plan goal or review of a case plan goal is:
-	reunification within 12 months, or
-	support for the parent(s) with a child living at home under a Child Protection Order – i.e. a Protective Supervision Order or a Directive Order – which requires specific actions involving the family, or
-	support for the parent(s) with a child living at home under an Intervention with Parental Agreement or Support Service case to prevent any likelihood of the child entering out-of-home care; and
B.	The age group is inclusive of children and young people aged from unborn to under 18 years.
6.3.2 	Considerations – Statutory Service Users
•	Families may choose to remain engaged with the service for a short period of time once the case plan goals are achieved and they have ceased working with Child Safety Services to ensure ongoing safety and consolidate their learning.
6.4 	Vulnerable families with children (U3330)
Definition
•	Families with children and young people under18 years, including unborn children, who find themselves in vulnerable situations.
6.4.1 	Requirements – Vulnerable families with children
•	There is a child/ren unborn to under 18 years of age.
•	The family would benefit from access to family support interventions and/or referral to support services.
•	The child and family have had previous involvement with, or are at risk of progressing into the statutory child protection system without support.
6.4.2 	Considerations - Vulnerable families with children
•	Families may present with multiple concerns.
6.5	Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families (U3333)
Definition
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with children and young people under the age of 18 years (including unborns) requiring assistance across the service continuum; universal, secondary and/or intensive and specialist assistance.  The client group includes families who are subject to ongoing intervention by the department.
6.5.1 	Requirements - Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families
•	A member of the family identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
•	There is a child/ren unborn to under 18 years of age.
•	The family would benefit from access to early family support interventions and/or referral to specialist support services.
•	The child and family have had previous involvement with, or are at risk of progressing into the statutory child protection system.
•	The child is in need of ongoing intervention by Child Safety 
6.5.2 	Considerations - Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families
•	Families may present with multiple concerns.
6.6 	Referrers and Enquirers (U3340)
6.6.1 	Requirements - Referrers and Enquirers (U3340)
•	Referrers and Enquirers are people who are concerned about the safety and/or wellbeing of a child or family and are seeking information, advice, or referral for support for the vulnerable family.
•	Referrers and Enquirers must refer vulnerable and/or at risk families when they identify children or young people in need of support.  
•	Referrers and Enquirers include professionals (including those defined as mandatory reporters in the Child Protection Act 1999), prescribed entities, organisations, community members and/or families.
•	If a referrer or enquirer is a mandatory reporter, they must report a reasonable suspicion of harm that a child is a child in need of protection caused by physical or sexual abuse to Child Safety Services.
6.6.2 		Considerations - Referrers and Enquirers (U3340)
•	Referrers and Enquirers may use the Queensland Child Protection Guide to determine the most appropriate course of action for them to meet the needs of the vulnerable family or child. 

7. 	Service delivery requirements for specific service types
7.1 		Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing (T313)
7.1.1 	Requirements – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing
•	The department’s investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing aims to offer vulnerable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families a coordinated mix of services to address multiple levels of need and build family and community capacity to safely care for and protect their children. 
•	An integrated service response to families requires services to provide holistic and strengths based responses to:
1.	assess a family’s needs
2.	use a culturally holistic case management approach to coordinate services for families  
3.	leverage support for a family from multiple service providers and promote collaboration, information exchange, joint planning, shared resourcing and the development of formal (and informal) partnerships amongst community controlled and mainstream service providers
4.	offer personal support and development including information and advice, parenting skills development, kinship connections, budgeting and household management skills development
5.	deliver practical services that address a specific need in the family
6.	provide direct clinical and/or therapeutic counselling, emotional support and healing practices within a cultural framework.
•	Services are designed and delivered by valuing and engaging with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and knowledge.
•	Children and families and their participation in the decisions that shape their future are at the centre of all integrated service responses.
•	The service provider will deliver timely and effective support to families to achieve improvements in safety and/or protection from harm; and improve life skills to deliver the following outcomes:
1.	improved wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families
2.	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are safer
3.	Efficient and effective services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities
4.	A significant contribution to the reduction in the number of at risk Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the tertiary child protection system within specific catchments.
•	Services must align service delivery to the current version of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Program Guidelines. 
ATSIFW Staffing
A multidisciplinary professional team within the service will assist the family as appropriate to meet their case plan goals. In addition to family support case workers, specialist staff will provide advice to case managers and/or direct support to clients including specialist functions such as counselling. Staff will have experience and/or qualifications relevant to their role including the more specialised activities. 
The department understands that in some circumstances, such as in remote parts of Queensland, recruitment of staff with appropriate skills and experience can be difficult. Organisations are expected to support all staff, including specialists, to successfully meet the requirements of their role through internal and external training, professional supervision and, where required, the attainment of appropriate professional qualifications.  
 Early Childhood Development Coordinators (ECDC) Aboriginal &Torres Strait Islander initiative
•	Some Family Wellbeing Services are funded to employ part-time specialist early childhood development coordinators to improve the engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with the early childhood education and care system.  These positions also promote with families the importance of their children’s early learning to ensure that children make a successful transition to formal education.

•	The early childhood development coordinators focus on:
1.	Enhancing the skills and knowledge of all family wellbeing workers to address early learning needs; and
2.	Engaging directly with families to assist them with access to early learning services.

•	Early childhood development coordinators support and/or undertake early childhood education needs assessment and early childhood education planning for families. 
•	The early childhood development coordinators require strong relationships with early childhood education providers to improve access for children who are in contact with the Family Wellbeing Service.
•	Early childhood development coordinators will need to have experience and/or qualifications in early childhood education or a relevant education-related field in order to undertake the specialised early childhood education support work with the children and families and undertake the service access and service coordination function. 
Referral Criteria 
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with children and young people under the age of 18 years (including unborns) requiring assistance across the service continuum; universal, secondary and/or intensive and specialist assistance.  The client group includes families who are subject to ongoing intervention by the department.  The service will support case plan goals regarding the improvement of relationships and/or family reunification or preservation and will support a positive cultural identity for all children through actions that enhance/encourage strong connections with kin, culture and country.
Referral Pathways
•	Self-referrals (includes family members, friends, other members of the community, Elders)
•	Department of Education and Training; Queensland Police Service and Queensland Health
•	Other government and non-government agencies
•	Family and Child Connect
•	Child Safety Services (Regional Intake Services and Child Safety Service Centres)
Non-engagement 
•	Where families, referred by Child Safety Services (RIS and CSSC), do not engage with the service, the service must advise Child Safety Services that the family did not engage. This information will form part of the child protection history for the family and ensure that any further action from Child Safety Services will consider the family’s engagement in secondary support services.
Collaborative Family decision Making (CFDM)
•	Collaborative Family Decision Making (CFDM) is applied whenever a critical decision about a child’s safety, belonging or wellbeing is required as part of the child protection system. This includes assessment, planning, monitoring and review activities. 
•	CFDM seeks to specifically influence how critical decisions are made through specifying best practice and minimum standards for engaging the child, their family, extended family and community as a group and empowering them to make decisions. 
•	The overall approach of CFDM is to ensure that agreed safety, belonging and wellbeing decisions are developed through an independently-convened process that is family and community driven.  CFDM processes can therefore be convened or co-convened by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing services to support service provision to children and their families.
Brokerage
•	Services are funded for brokerage. Brokerage funds will be used by service providers to purchase specialist services or goods that contribute to the overall needs and wellbeing of the child and family consistent with the outcomes and intentions of the family’s support program and the family’s case plan goals.
•	The spending of brokerage funds must be clearly linked to a child and or family’s case plan. 
•	A brokerage fund of up to 5% of total grant funding is available.
Reporting
•	Services are required to submit financial and performance reports using the department’s Online Reporting System (OASIS) 
•	Services are required to enter data on the information technology program Assessment Referral and Case Management (ARC)
Networking
•	All services must participate in a Local Level Alliance of government and non-government services.

7.1.2 		Considerations – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing 
The following principles underpin the design and delivery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing:
•	Cultural knowledge and understanding is central to improving children’s safety, belonging, wellbeing, identity and participation in community life
•	Authentic communication with families fosters collaborative working relationships and drives holistic service responses
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander local leadership is recognised and valued
•	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations are best placed to deliver services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities
•	Services will listen to the views of children, family and community and will involve them in both the design of the service and the planning of responses
•	Place-based design of service responses reflects the needs and aspirations of the local community 
•	Enhanced networks will increase safety and support for children, young people and families
•	Focus on the present and future whilst recognising the impact of the past and the importance of healing, rigour and hopefulness in the search for strength-based solutions
•	Continuous reflection to grow, learn and nurture connection and practice underpinned by trust and a shared commitment to finding solutions to raise strong, healthy, happy children and support a positive cultural identity for all children.
The success of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing program will be assessed using the following measures:
1.	Demonstrates greater capacity to support families earlier
•	Number of families referred to Family Wellbeing services 
•	Number of families who consent to engage.
2.	Demonstrates families’ willingness to protect children from harm
•	Number of substantiations and re-substantiations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children after engagement with a Family Wellbeing service
•	Number of re-notifications of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children after engagement with a Family Wellbeing service.
3.	Demonstrates effectiveness of Family Wellbeing program
•	Number of cases closed with partial or majority of needs met.
•	Number of cases which show positive change in key wellbeing domains.
4.	Demonstrates Family Wellbeing services are meeting family needs and providing culturally appropriate support
•	Number of families satisfied with the Family Wellbeing service.
Service delivery mode options: 
•	Centre-based
•	Mobile

7.3 		Support — Intensive Family Support (T327)
7.3.1 		Requirements — Intensive 
•	Intensive Family Support (IFS) services are required to build the capacity of families to adequately nurture, protect and keep their children safe. (This service type includes the former Fostering Families and Referral for Active Intervention programs). 
•	Services must align services delivery to the current version of the Intensive Family Support Model and Guidelines 
•	The outcomes to be achieved are:
•	Improved wellbeing and safety of children, young people and their families.
•	Strengthened capacity of parents to care for and protect their children.
•	Fewer children and young people entering the statutory child protection system.
Hours of Operation
•	IFS services are required to operate for 52 weeks each year to receive referrals 
•	It is a requirement that the service will meet the needs of families by providing flexible appointment times  for families who cannot be contacted or access the service during normal business hours.
•	It is a requirement that the case management function, including practical in-home support, will be available to families outside core business hours including mornings, evenings and weekends as necessary to develop and/or implement elements of case plans.
•	While the IFS service is not considered a crisis service, it will display flexibility and responsiveness in respect of working hours in order to maximise support interventions with families and engage family members who may be working standard hours. 
IFS Staffing 
•	IFS case managers will hold university qualifications in human services or a relevant related field. Staff will be required to have demonstrated skills in engaging hard-to-reach families. The majority of families referred to the IFS will have multiple and/or complex needs that impact on their parenting, family functioning and children’s safety. 
•	A multidisciplinary professional team within the service will assist the family as appropriate to meet their case plan goals. In addition to family support case workers, specialist staff will provide expert advice to lead case managers and/or direct support to clients. Specialist workers will also collaborate with external service providers within their own field of expertise to develop and maintain effective pathways for IFS clients to access those services as part of their case plan. Specialist workers will have a broader role in policy and program development and building the capability of the IFS in their area of expertise. 
•	The department understands that in some circumstances such as in remote parts of Queensland recruitment of staff with appropriate skills and experience can be difficult and a mix of qualifications, cultural connections and knowledge of the local area, skills and life experience may be reflected in the team. Organisations are expected to support all staff, including specialists, to successfully meet the requirements of their role through internal and external training, professional supervision and encouragement to attain appropriate professional qualifications.  
Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Professional 
•	An experienced worker with specialist knowledge and skills in the area of domestic and family violence has been identified as a critical inclusion in the IFS team. This is in recognition of the high proportion of vulnerable families who are affected by domestic and family violence; the high level of risk that domestic and family violence poses to the safety of children, young people and their families; and the specialist skills required to identify domestic and family violence, engage with affected families, and develop appropriate service responses. 
•	The role is designed to:
•	provide specialist advice especially during case discussions 
•	assist co-workers to screen for domestic and family violence; and 
•	undertake risk assessments where domestic and family violence is identified. 

•	This worker will:
•	provide case managers with advice and support with engagement strategies for families affected by domestic and family violence, including strategies to assess, monitor and minimise risk to family members and workers
•	participate in client home visits where appropriate; and  
•	support or work with case managers to engage all family members who require a service response, including fathers, and working with the whole family where it is safe to do so. 

•	The role will include a level of direct client-related work as appropriate including counselling, risk management and safety. Where referrals to specialist domestic and family violence prevention and support services are identified as part of the case plan, this worker can assist family members to effectively engage with the appropriate service and continue to inform risk management strategies. In some cases joint work with the specialist service and the IFS worker may be the best approach for the family.   
•	There is potential for this role to be seconded from a specialist domestic and family violence service providing information protocols are adhered to. 
Diversity and Culturally Respectful Practices 
•	The IFS should aim to recruit a diverse team that reflects the cultures within the local catchment and a mix of male and female team members to maximise long term engagement and effective relationship building between families and the service.
•	If the IFS is not being delivered by an Indigenous organisation, in recognition of the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care and a commitment to support families to safely care of their children at home, the IFS is expected to recruit wherever possible workers who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. The service is required to develop effective links with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and community representatives and to ensure that culturally respectful practice is a core component of staff development and training. Appendix 2 outlines the principles for responding effectively to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families.  
•	In addition, an IFS service is required to be capable of responding in a culturally sensitive way to families from Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds require services to be responsive to their specific needs. Services need to demonstrate their willingness and capacity to work with people from diverse backgrounds by developing specific strategies including linking with local multicultural organisations and engaging interpreter services. 
Practice framework and tools
•	Under the Child and Family Reform Program, the department is implementing a new child protection practice framework (recommendation 7.1 of the Inquiry). The department will provide training to the staff of the IFS services in relevant components of the new child protection practice framework to develop a shared practice approach across IFS services and Child Safety Services. Participation in this training is required. The department will meet the costs of training service providers. 
•	Alongside the new practice framework, tools including common assessment tools, will be provided by the department which are to be trialled by IFS services in order to develop a shared understanding and consistent practice across all IFS services.
 
Child Protection Notifications and Interventions
•	Once an Intensive Family Support service is in receipt of a referral, an Intensive Family Support staff member can seek a case consultation with the Principal Child Protection Practitioner. The Principal Child Protection Practitioner will provide advice and information in relation to specific cases with a focus on:
•	the suitability of the referral to Family and Child Connect or Intensive Family Support service
•	whether the matter provides information indicating a child may be in need of protection and  therefore requires a report to Child Safety
•	assist with the identification and prioritisation of needs for a child and family
•	assist in safety planning and assessments
•	assist in developing engagement strategies when working with a difficult or resistant family
•	undertaking a risk assessment.
•	If an IFS service is offering support to a family and Child Safety begins an investigation, the service may continue to work with the family until the investigation is completed. However, if as a result of the investigation an ongoing statutory response is deemed appropriate, the IFS Service must immediately transition case management to Child Safety. 
•	If the outcome of the Child Safety investigation results in an Intervention with Parental Agreement (IPA), it may be appropriate for the IFS to continue to work with the family where there is a strong therapeutic relationship in place.  However, the IFS service’s role as case manager must cease and is transferred to Child Safety. In deciding whether the IFS should continue to work with the family consideration should be given to the nature of the current service delivery and whether the strength of the established relationship with the family will provide the best opportunity for successfully achieving the child’s and family’s case plan goals. The continuation of service delivery will be formally agreed between the IFS service, Regional Contract Management, Child Safety Services and the Commissioning area.  Arrangements will be subject to review every three months or more frequently to ensure sufficient progress is being made.  
•	IFS services are funded to prevent entry or re-entry of children and young people into the statutory child protection system. As such, the target group is children, young people and their families who are at high risk of abuse or neglect but are not currently assessed as in need of protection, with the exception of the above arrangements.  
Referral Criteria 
•	Referrals to IFS services must meet the following criteria:
•	There is a child or young person (unborn* to under 18 years).
•	The family has multiple and/or complex needs. 
•	The family would benefit from access to intensive and specialist support services.
•	Without support the child, young person and family are at risk of entering or re-entering the statutory child protection system.
•	The child is not currently in need of protection.  

             * Concerns about an unborn child cannot be referred without the pregnant woman’s consent.
 
•	Multiple and complex needs may include issues such as: 
•	Housing instability.
•	Mental health.
•	Drug and alcohol misuse.
•	Domestic and family violence. 
•	Parenting challenges.
•	Unemployment. 
•	Financial stress.

Referral Pathways
•	There are a number of referral* pathways into the service, these include referrals from:
•	Child Safety Services. 
•	Department of Education and Training, Queensland Police and Queensland Health.
•	Other government and non-government agencies.
•	Family and Child Connect (Community Based Intake and Referral). 
•	Self-referrals where capacity allows.

                 * Referral of an unborn child can only occur with the mother’s consent. 
Referrals from Family and Child Connect 
•	Referrals from Family and Child Connect will be transferred through the Advice, Referral and Case Management (ARC) system after the Family and Child Connect has engaged the family, assessed their needs and gained their agreement to be referred for support. 
Referrals from Child Safety 
•	Referrals from the CSSCs and Regional Intake Service (RIS) will only  include families where they have been assessed as “at risk” but where statutory intervention is not required (e.g. un/substantiated - child not in need of protection). These referrals should be made through the Stronger Families Referral to Support Service website at https://secure.communities.qld.gov.au/cbir#  
•	There are two types of referrals that an IFS service can receive directly from Child Safety:

Referral with consent: Where a full investigation of a notification has been undertaken by Child Safety and the case is now closed or the family has been subject to a Child Safety intervention with parental agreement (IPA) and the case is now closed or will be close once the family engages and commences working with the IFS.  In these cases, Child Safety will have made contact with the family and will refer where intensive family support is deemed appropriate and the IFS referral criteria are met, to an IFS service with the family’s consent.

Referral without consent: Where Child Safety have made an assessment of a notification and determined it does not require further investigation, it is recorded as a child concern report (CCR).  In this case, it is unlikely that Child Safety will have contacted the family. Therefore, where intensive family support is deemed appropriate and the referral criteria met, Child Safety may refer to an IFS service without the family’s consent. For CCR referrals, contact by the IFS service may be the first time a family will be informed that there has been a concern about their family that has been brought to the attention of Child Safety.

•	Small IFS services operating on a one worker model are not obliged to receive referrals without consent.

Referrals from Police, Schools and Health Services (mandatory reporters and prescribed entities)
•	Mandatory reporters, that is, approved teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers with child protection responsibilities, officers of the new Public Guardian, Child Safety employees and employees of licensed out of home services, may refer a child or a family directly to a service provider, including an IFS service. 
•	From 19 January 2015, legislation allows for these referrals to be made without the consent of the family, however best practice is for information about the family to be passed on with their consent.  
•	Particular prescribed entities under section 159M of the Child Protection Act 1999, which include the department, employees of licensed out of home care services, corrective services, education, housing, health (including the Mater Misercordiae Health Service Brisbane) and police may also refer a child or family to a service provider, including an IFS service with or without the family’s consent. Again, it is recognised that families are more likely to engage with the service and receive the support they need if their consent is gained before making the referral. 
•	These referrals can be made with or without the family’s consent. These referrals should be made through the Stronger Families Referral to Support Service website at https://secure.communities.qld.gov.au/cbir#
Professionals and organisation referrals
•	Any other professionals and organisation other than those listed as particular prescribed entities that identify vulnerable families who meet the referral criteria may, with the family’s consent, refer the family to an IFS service. 
Self-referrals
•	Families may self-refer to an IFS service for support.
Community referrals 
•	Community members seeking assistance for vulnerable families who need support may refer a family, with their consent, to an IFS service or encourage the family to self-refer. 
Prioritisation Guidelines 
•	IFS services will engage eligible clients based on their professional assessment of criticality-of-need, taking into account the following combination of factors:
•	Referrals from Family and Child Connect or Child Safety Services whereby the family is deemed to be not currently in need of protection but the family’s outcome in the Family Risk Evaluation is high/very high.
•	The child/ren is/are under 3 years old.
•	The degree of vulnerability of child/ren given consideration of factors such as developmental delay, physical/intellectual disability, health/medical needs and challenging behaviours etc.
•	Child protection history (e.g. more than one child concern report/notification recorded within a 12 month period, consideration of cumulative harm (e.g.  series or pattern of harmful events and experiences that may have occurred in the past or are ongoing).
•	Complexity of need with multiple presenting factors (e.g. mental health, domestic and family violence, substance misuse, and disability issues, engagement in criminal activities).
•	Social, environmental, cultural influences and networks (e.g. limited access to services, including housing).
•	Other services currently involved, including the need for case co-ordination and/or access to more than one type of service. 
Active Engagement
•	If the referrer is a mandatory reporter and unable or unwilling to gain the consent of the family, the IFS will accept the referral for the family and commence a process to actively engage with the family to obtain their consent. 
•	Assertive outreach to engage hard-to–reach families in their home or other community based locations is an essential component of the model. This includes unannounced visits or cold calling to make contact with families who have been referred without consent and actively encourage them to engage with available support. 
•	Unannounced visits are not expected when information indicates this may pose an unacceptable safety risk for IFS staff or to family members, particularly people impacted by domestic and family violence. 
•	Some of these families will not be aware that a mandatory reporter has concerns about the wellbeing of their children or that Child Safety Services has referred their family. There are a range of reasons that families may be reluctant to engage and the service will need to develop effective strategies to connect and build trust with families to maximise engagement that is safe for all family members.
Non-engagement 
•	Where families, referred by Child Safety Services (RIS and CSSC), do not engage with the service, the service must advise Child Safety Services that the family did not engage. This information will form part of the child protection history for the family and ensure that any further action from Child Safety Services will consider the family’s engagement in secondary support services.
Case Management/Planning
•	Secondary services must provide a lead case manager who works with families to identify specific goals to be reached. The goals are documented in a case plan developed during the initial assessment. The case plan also includes a clearly outlined exit strategy that will identify ongoing support services. Maximum independence is developed prior to families exiting the service.
Service Delivery
•	As some families will be referred to the service without their consent, services will play an active role in assisting Service Users to engage with the service. This will include the development of a range of strategies to assist the voluntary engagement of families. A key feature of active engagement is meeting with families where they feel comfortable, often in their own homes and gaining trust by establishing consistent and reliable contact and non-judgmental support.
•	An assessment of family needs must be completed using the Child and Family Wellbeing Domains at case commencement and again at case closure.  The assessments must be recorded in the ARC system as part of the family’s records to support case planning and reporting on outcomes.  
•	Services are responsible for the recruitment of appropriately qualified staff that will require specialist skills in the provision of intensive family support and counselling. Case Management staff should hold relevant tertiary (university) qualifications, a Human Services qualification or equivalent.
•	On average, workers have a caseload of 18 to 23 families per year. It is anticipated that families with medium to high complex needs will access between 40 and 100 hours of support overall.
•	A critical success factor of the program is the provision of integrated service provision to support vulnerable families. Services use formal agreements and/or brokerage funds to procure other specialist or support services for the families referred for active intervention. Secondary services in smaller communities with few or no support services available will provide the most critical of these services in-house.
Brokerage
•	Services are funded for brokerage. Brokerage funds will be used by service providers to purchase specialist services or goods that contribute to the overall needs and wellbeing of the child and family consistent with the outcomes and intentions of the family’s support program and the family’s case plan goals.
•	The spending of brokerage funds must be clearly linked to a family’s case plan. 
•	A brokerage fund of up to 5% of total grant funding is available.
Reporting
•	Services are required to submit financial and performance reports using the department’s Online Reporting System (OASIS) 
•	Services are also required to enter data on the Advice, Referral and Case Management (ARC) system, a program developed specifically for the secondary family support service system.
Networking
•	All services participate in a Local Level Alliance of government and non-government services. 
7.3.2 	Considerations - Intensive
Service Delivery
•	In some circumstances, services may need to be provided outside of business hours, including before school, evenings and occasionally on weekends.
•	The period of intervention will be dependent upon the needs of the family. 
Service delivery mode options: 
•	Centre-based 
•	Mobile
7.4 		Support — Safe Haven (T331)
Safe Havens reduce the impact of family violence on children, young people and their families.
7.4.1 	Requirements — Safe Haven
Safe Havens are required to reduce the impact of family violence on children, young people and their families. 
The service model has eight elements, defined as:
•	Coordination – to develop and implement appropriate protocols and service arrangements with community stakeholders to ensure a coordinated approach towards responding to the needs of children and young people who witness or experience domestic and family violence. 
•	Community capacity building – to build and strengthen networks and support existing organisations to build and improve their capacity, relating specifically to prevention and early intervention activities to families with children and young people.
•	Family Support – to assist families when a domestic and family violence incident occurs to keep their children safe from harm; to develop their knowledge and skills to continue to care for and nurture their children; to increase their capacity to manage and resolve complex issues in a way that improves their family functioning, capacity and resilience; by providing information about parenting issues and nurturing children.
•	Family counselling – to provide counselling to individuals, couples and families to identify issues, recognise personal and social resources and deliver responses that enhance individual and family functioning.
•	Youth work – to provide support to young people to address the social/emotional issues that confront them in their daily life as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood and as a contributing member of society.
•	Community patrol – to provide escort for children, either with the consent of parents, or with the approval of authorised officers, as defined by the Child Protection Act (1999) to ensure their safety by transporting them to a safe place if they are found wandering the street. 
•	Brokerage – to enhance support, services and resources that are available to families on a short-term or episodic basis that will support Service Users to meet their goals in a support plan. They are not intended to duplicate ongoing services and resources that are available to families through other programs or through their informal support networks.
•	Emergency care funding – the provision of vouchers (and non-monetary assistance) to recipients who are meeting the immediate safety needs of children and young people experiencing domestic and family violence. 
7.4.2 	Considerations — Safe Haven
Nil.

Service delivery mode options: 
•	centre-based 
•	mobile
7.5 		Support — Secondary Family Support (T334)
7.5.1 	Requirements — Secondary
Secondary Family Support Services are required to reduce harm or risk of harm to children and young people, prevent crises or problems within families from arising or escalating and stabilise or maintain family wellbeing.
The outcomes to be achieved are:
•	Improve the wellbeing and safety of children, young people and their families.
•	Build the capacity of families to care for and protect their children.
•	Provide linkages to local universal support services/community groups to enable families to access the resources to build their capacity to solve problems and make positive choices and changes.
•	Prevent entry or re-entry to the statutory child protection system. 
Referral Pathways
•	Families can self-refer to these services.
•	These services receive referrals from other non-government agencies and government agencies. To make a referral to these services the following criteria must be met:
­	There is a child/ren unborn to 18 years of age
­	The family would benefit from access to family support interventions and/or referral to specialist support services
­	The child is not currently in need of ongoing Child Safety intervention
­	The family consents to the referral.

•	These services cannot accept referrals from Child Safety Services if there is a current notification and an investigation has not commenced or where it has been determined that a child is in need of ongoing Child Safety intervention. 
•	Referrals from Child Safety can be accepted when the family is exiting from a Child Safety intervention (investigation or Intervention with Parental Agreement) and the referral forms for part of the exit case plan/strategy. 
•	These services must not provide services to families where the child is placed in out-of-home care by Child Safety Services. Where children are placed in out-of-home care, Child Safety Services will access Tertiary Family Support Services to work with these families to address the identified child protection concerns. 
Brokerage
•	Brokerage is not funded within the model.
Reporting
•	There are no additional reporting requirements for these services.
7.5.2 	Considerations — Secondary
Service Delivery
•	The period of intervention will be dependent upon the needs of the family. 
•	Supports can be delivered by a variety of workers with different skill levels, including volunteers, tertiary qualified (university) and vocationally trained (TAFE) staff.
Case Management/Planning
•	A range of interventions is delivered to vulnerable families and children (unborn to under 18 years) that aim to reduce harm or risk of harm, prevent crises or problems from arising or escalating and stabilise or maintain the family’s wellbeing.
•	Interventions provided can include case management, counselling, family therapy, mediation, parenting skills, community education and development, volunteer coordination and support, budgeting, household management strategies or supporting the family to adopt daily routines.  
Networking
•	All services are encouraged to participate in a Local Level Alliance of government and non-government services. 
Service delivery mode options: 
•	Centre-based
•	Mobile
7.6 	Support — Targeted Family Support (T336)
These services are narrowed by their target group, i.e. they work with one specific target group, such as teenage parents, or narrowed by the type of services delivered, such as counselling. For example, a service might target a specific group within the community, such as families from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, to deliver case management, or be open to the entire target group to offer a single service. 
The matrix below helps determine which category a service aligns to.
Secondary Family
Support Matrix	Vulnerable children, young people (0-18) and their families	Any subset of the prescribed target group (young people, ATSI, pregnant women)	
Needs assessment management of case plan (as the primary output/service model) 	Secondary Family Support	Targeted Family Support	
Other service model e.g. counselling, social and personal development (as the primary output/service model)	Targeted Family Support	Targeted Family Support	

Family Support Matrix
7.6.1 	Requirements — Targeted 
Targeted Family Support services are secondary services. These services are provided to reduce harm or risk of harm to children and young people, prevent crises or problems within families from arising or escalating and stabilise or maintain family wellbeing.
These services are required to:
•	Improve the wellbeing and safety of children, young people and their families.
•	Build the capacity of families to care for and protect their children.
•	Provide linkages to local universal support services/community groups to enable families to access the resources to build their capacity to solve problems and make positive choices and changes.
•	Prevent entry or re-entry to the statutory child protection system. 
Referral Pathways
•	Families can self-refer to these services.
•	These services receive referrals from other non-government agencies and government agencies. To make a referral to these services the following criteria must be met:
­	There is a child/ren unborn to 18 years of age
­	The family would benefit from access to family support interventions and/or  referral to specialist support services
­	The child is not currently in need of ongoing Child Safety intervention
­	The family consents to the referral.
•	These services cannot accept referrals from Child Safety Services if there is a current notification and an investigation has not commenced or where it has been determined that a child is in need of ongoing Child Safety  intervention. 
•	Referrals from Child Safety Services can be accepted when the family is exiting from a Child Safety intervention (investigation or Intervention with Parental Agreement) and the referral forms for part of the exit case plan/strategy. 
•	These services must not provide services to families where the child is placed in out-of-home care by Child Safety Services. Where children are placed in out-of-home care, Child Safety Services will access Tertiary Family Support Services to work with these families to address the identified child protection concerns. 
Brokerage
•	Brokerage is not funded within the model.
Reporting
•	There are no additional reporting requirements for these services.
7.6.2 	Considerations — Targeted
Service Delivery
•	The period of intervention will be dependent upon the needs of the family. 
•	Supports can be delivered by a variety of workers with different skill levels, including volunteers, university qualified and vocationally trained (TAFE) staff.
Case Management/Planning
•	A range of interventions is delivered to vulnerable families and children (unborn to under 18 years) that aim to reduce harm or risk of harm, prevent crises or problems from arising or escalating and stabilise or maintain the family’s wellbeing
•	Interventions provided can include case management, counselling, family therapy, mediation, parenting skills, community education and development, volunteer coordination and support, budgeting, household management strategies or supporting the family to adopt daily routines.  
Networking
•	All services are encouraged to participate in a Local Level Alliance of government and non-government services. 
Service delivery mode options: 
•	Centre-based
•	Mobile 
•	Virtual
7.7 	Support — Tertiary Family Support Services (T339)
Tertiary Family Support Services support Service Users of Child Safety Service Centres where ongoing statutory intervention with a family is required.
7.7.1 	Requirements — Tertiary
Tertiary Family Support Services must deliver services designed to:
•	Maintain families where a child remains living at home under the ongoing intervention and monitoring by Child Safety Services; and/or
•	assist in the reunification of the child with their family from an out-of-home care placement where this is in the child’s best interest.
•	Subject to capacity, where Child Safety Services are undertaking an investigation, and the result of the safety assessment is conditionally safe, the Tertiary Family Support service may work with the Child Safety Service Centre to engage and work with the family to prevent entry into the statutory system. 
Referral pathways
•	Only Child Safety Service Centres are able to make referrals to Tertiary Family Support Services. Other government and non-government agencies are not permitted to send referrals to Tertiary Family Support. 
•	Families are not able to self-refer.
Case management/planning
•	Services must work to a case plan developed by Child Safety Services, who retain lead case management responsibility. The case plan must include one of the following goals: 
­	reunification of children with their families in 12 months; 
­	support to a child's family living at home on a child protection order,
­	intervention with parental agreement (IPA) or 
­	support service case.
•	Services must work in partnership with Child Safety Service Centres and collaboratively with informal family supports and other support services (including universal and secondary type support services) to ensure case plan goals and case plan reviews for children and young people are addressed in a timely manner and in a family’s local community. 
Service delivery 
•	Services must provide an integrated and responsive therapeutic suite of services, including individual or family counselling and group work where appropriate to a child/ren and their family.
Collaborative Family decision Making (CFDM)
•	Collaborative Family Decision Making (CFDM) is applied whenever a critical decision about a child’s safety, belonging or wellbeing is required as part of the child protection system. This includes assessment, planning, monitoring and review activities. 
•	CFDM seeks to specifically influence how critical decisions are made through specifying best practice and minimum standards for engaging the child, their family, extended family and community as a group and empowering them to make decisions. 
•	The overall approach of CFDM is to ensure that agreed safety, belonging and wellbeing decisions are developed through an independently-convened process that is family and community driven.  CFDM processes can therefore be convened or co-convened by Tertiary Family Support services to support service provision to children and their families.
Brokerage
•	Services are funded for brokerage. Brokerage funds must be used by service providers to purchase specialist services or goods that contribute to the overall needs and wellbeing of the child and family consistent with the outcomes and intentions of the family’s support program and the department’s case plan goals.
•	The spending of brokerage funds must be clearly linked to a family’s case plan. 
•	A brokerage fund of up to 5% of total grant funding is available.
Reporting 
•	When families are referred by Child Safety Services subject to an Intervention with Parental Agreement, or support service, the department requires regular progress reports on the family’s participation in the program.
•	Services are required to provide Service User data on an annual basis on a template provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

7.7.2 	Considerations — Tertiary
Case management/planning
•	Services may assist Child Safety Service Centres in decision making by participating in case planning and case plan reviews that are coordinated and facilitated by Child Safety Services. 
•	Services aim to develop the practical skills of parents to care for their child, improve the safety of the family home environment and strengthen the attachment between parent and child/ren within a strengths-based and evidence informed practice framework.
•	Child Safety Service Centre Managers have the discretion to allow a family to receive more than one episode of service.
•	Hours of contact and coordination support provided to each family range from 10 to 20 hours per week, depending on the nature of the referral made by Child Safety.
Service delivery 
•	Service delivery models may vary and include combinations of one-to-one support to a parent or child, family counselling or mediation, group work, centre-based services and in-home support by paid staff and/or volunteers.
•	On average, workers have a caseload of 12 families per year.
•	Interventions may vary in length from three to twelve months, with the possibility of a further six months extension depending on a family’s need, consistent with parental progress and departmental case plan goals and reviews.
•	Under some circumstances, services will need to be provided outside of business hours, including before school, evenings and occasionally on weekends.
Service delivery mode options: 
•	Centre-based 
•	Mobile
7.8 	Support — Community Based Intake and Referral (T347)
The fundamental intent of the Community Based Intake and Referral (CBIR) services is to create social infrastructure which enables families under stress to access the support they need as early as possible and without involvement of the statutory child protection system. The common branding for this service is Family and Child Connect (FaCC).
7.8.1 	Requirements— Community Based Intake and Referral (T347)
•	The Community Based Intake and Referral (CBIR) services are required to operate both locally within their defined catchment, and as a network to respond to enquiries and referrals about the wellbeing of vulnerable children and young people who are at risk of entry or re-entry into the statutory child protection system, and their families, and lead an alliance of local non-government and government services that work with vulnerable children, young people and families. 
•	Services must align services delivery to the current version of the Family and Child Connect Program Guidelines. 
•	Three key functions of the CBIR are 1) information, assessment, advice and/or referral for support, 2) active engagement and referral for support and 3) lead a Local Level Alliance.
Information, assessment, advice and/or referral for support 
•	The CBIR service is the entry point for information and support advice for vulnerable families. Community members and professionals seeking assistance for families that do not require a report to Child Safety Service must make enquiries to the CBIR. 
•	The service will make available the following contact options: 
­	in person
­	by phone and/or 
­	by email via a website. 
•	The service must provide a visible point of entry for vulnerable families who need support within the local catchment.
•	Initial identification and assessment of the presenting safety and support needs of children, young people and their families must be a key function of this service. 
•	Many families will only require information or resources, protective advice and/or advice about local services which will be able to be provided promptly to the person making the enquiry. 
•	The CBIR must also provide assistance with the use of the online Queensland Child Protection Guide at http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/childsafety/partners/our-government-partners/queensland-child-protection-guide/online-child-protection-guide.
•	If the information provided indicates the family has multiple and/or complex needs and will require intensive family support, the CBIR worker must encourage the enquirer to gain consent from the family to refer the family to an Intensive Family Support service.
•	If the referrer is a mandatory reporter and unable or unwilling to gain the consent of the family, the CBIR must accept the referral for the family and commence a process to actively engage with the family to obtain their consent. 
•	Where the referral comes in to CBIR to action, staff will assess the information provided in the referral and contact families according to criticality of need. Families identified as having the most critical needs must be the first to be contacted by CBIR to seek engagement. 
•	The initial assessment must be undertaken by a professionally qualified family support worker and also draw on the expertise of the domestic and family violence worker and other specialist workers within the service as appropriate including the resident out-posted officer (Child Safety Services). 
•	When a reasonable suspicion is identified that child or young person is in need of protection, the CBIR will make a prompt and timely referral of the family to the Regional Intake Service (RIS). 
Active engagement and referral for support 
•	The second function of the CBIR is to actively engage with the families that are referred to the service because of multiple and/or complex needs. 
o	If the enquirer is a prescribed entity and is unable or unwilling to gain the consent of the family, then the CBIR must accept the referral of the family without consent and commence a process to actively engage with the family to gain consent. 
o	The service must actively engage families who have made contact, or have been referred, and work with them to identify their needs and gain consent if required for them to receive appropriate support. 
o	Assertive outreach to engage hard-to–reach families in their home or other community-based locations is an essential component of the model. Sustained efforts over time are required to actively encourage families to engage with available support services. 
o	The CBIR must contact families by phone, mail and personal unannounced visits where necessary. 
o	Unannounced visits are not expected when information indicates this may pose an unacceptable safety risk for CBIR staff or to family members, particularly people impacted by domestic and family violence. In order to maximise engagement of families in services, informed consent is a critical aspect of the CBIR service model. Family members need to agree to accept support by providing consent which includes permission for their information to be shared with other service providers who can assist them. 
o	Information sharing for families experiencing domestic and family violence will be guided by safety considerations, using the expertise of the domestic and family violence specialist. 
o	Where adults in the family have different views about consent, the service must work to ensure the adult willing to engage is safely able to do so. Family members will have the option of limiting or not permitting information sharing with particular services or organisations. 
o	All families must be made aware of the duty of care that providers have to report significant harm or risk of significant harm to relevant authorities including Child Safety Services.  
o	Child Safety Services (RIS) must refer a proportion of families to the CBIR. Where families do not engage with the CBIR service or provide consent for a family support intervention, the CBIR will advise Child Safety Services that the family has not engaged. This information will form part of the child protection history for the family and ensure that any further action from Child Safety Services will consider the family’s engagement in secondary support services.
o	Families identified as requiring intensive support or case management for multiple and/or complex needs will be referred to intensive family support or appropriate specialist services. 
o	Families assessed as having less complex or fewer needs must be referred to less intensive, targeted or universal services, or be provided with relevant resources.  
Lead or support a Local Level Alliance 
•	The third function of the CBIR is to lead or support the Alliance which will include government and non-government agencies who work with vulnerable families, including Local Councils and Australian Government service providers. The Alliance may be co-chaired by a government agency and the CBIR or another non-government agency within the Alliance by mutual agreement of Alliance members.    
•	The purpose of the Local Level Alliance is to establish or strengthen connections between local services that are involved with working with vulnerable families to ensure families receive the right service at the right time.  
•	It is acknowledged that every service system has a number of networks. The Local Level Alliance (LLA) is not intended to duplicate or replace these forums, though in some locations the existing family support network or Supporting Families Alliance is transitioning to the new LLA framework once the Family and Child Connect is operational. The specific focus of the LLA is vulnerable families with children.
•	Each Family and Child Connect catchment area will have at least one Local Level Alliance and in some instances, usually in large catchment areas, multiple Local Level Alliances.
Outcomes:
Once established it is expected that the Local Level Alliance will work towards achieving the following outcomes: 
•	Building community capacity to provide a more efficient service provision for families and a thriving local community.
•	Improved and more direct referral pathways for families to access appropriate services.
•	Family and Child Connect embedded as an alternate pathway for families to be connected to the right support at the right time.  
•	Improved information sharing between providers to enable more coordinated and effective responses to families.     
•	Responses aligned to better support vulnerable families and strengthen service integration, such as a shared practice framework and resources. 
•	Contribute to service system integration through identification of available services and gaps, improvement in the alignment between the configuration of the service system and the needs of local families.
•	Contribute to place based planning for the development of an integrated suite of local services that provide families with responsive, accessible and effective support.  
Benefits:
Through strengthening the service system Local Level Alliance will contribute to achieving the following benefits:
•	Improved outcomes for at risk families and children through increased referrals to family support services. 
•	A reduction in unnecessary reports to Child Safety as a result of more efficient and effective pathways for children and families to access child and family support services. 
•	A reduction of in the number of children at risk and in out-of-home care through increased use of family support services and improved matching of services to high risk families.
Membership:
•	The Local Level Alliance will include government and non-government agencies, including Local Councils and Australian Government service providers.
•	Members will be drawn from agencies providing services in the local area who work with vulnerable families or family members.
•	Some family support services and domestic and family violence prevention and support services funded by the department are required under their contract to be members of the Local Level Alliance. 
•	Each Local Level Alliance will include Aboriginal and/or a Torres Strait Islander representation to reflect the views, needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
•	The underlying principle is for the Local Level Alliance to include those members who are best placed to meet the goal of strengthening the local service system to effectively respond to vulnerable families. It is important that decision making representatives from agencies attend the Local Level Alliance meetings.  
•	While leadership arrangements will vary across Local Level Alliances, it is intended that these arrangements will reflect a sharing of leadership responsibilities between the non-government sector and the government sector.  
Coordination:
•	The Family and Child Connect service will resource and support the Alliance and report quarterly to the department in keeping with their funding and service contract. 
•	The Local Level Alliance Coordinator (or Alliance worker) will play an important role in identifying key agencies and services that contribute to the service system for vulnerable families and inviting them to participate. 
Reporting:
•	The Local Level Alliance, through the CBIR (Family and Child Connect service), will be required to report quarterly on the activities undertaken, effectiveness and/or issues relating to local agreements and protocols, and gaps in referral options.    
Governance:
•	The Local Level Alliance works in partnership with the Regional Child and Family Committee and in doing so forms part of a three-tiered governance system, established to plan further service delivery and investment. The three-tiered governance system consists of:
1.	Local Level Alliance: to establish or strengthen connections between local services that are involved in working with vulnerable families to ensure families receive the right service at the right time.
2.	Regional Child and Family Committees: to implement the child protection reforms and achieve outcomes by co-ordinating reform implementation and facilitate effective working relationships at regional and local levels.
3.	State-wide Child Protection Reform Leaders Group: to oversee development and operation of the place-based planning and service delivery processes and report on outcomes.
•	The Local Level Alliances are key elements of collaborative place-based planning and integrated service delivery in local catchments.    
 Enquiries to CBIR
•	The service must provide advice and support on the use of the Queensland Child Protection Guide.
•	The CBIR must manage enquiries from mandatory reporters, other professionals and organisations, community members and families. The service must promote its role and functions to key partner agencies and the community generally. 
•	Every enquiry to a CBIR must receive some form of response from the suite outlined in section 7.9.1 Considerations — Community Based Intake and Referral - Response types.
Referrals to a CBIR service
Not every enquiry to CBIR will result in a referral. To make a referral to CBIR the following criteria must be met:
•	There is a child or young person (unborn* to under 18 years).
•	The family has multiple and/or complex need.
•	The family would benefit from access to intensive and specialist support services.
•	Without support the child, young person and family are at risk of entering or re-entering the statutory child protection system.
•	The child is not currently in need of protection.
* Concerns about an unborn child cannot be referred without the pregnant women’s consent.
•	Child Safety Services Regional Intake Service (RIS) will make direct referrals to CBIR service who will  actively engage with the referred families to gain their consent for and active participation in an intensive family support service. 
•	The legislation allows for mandatory reporters to refer without consent.
•	Referrals must need to meet the referral criteria, be enacted electronically, contain key contact information and relevant information about the family’s particular circumstances and needs.  
•	Professionals and organisations who work with children, young people and families must be able to use the service to access information, advice and support that will assist them in their work with vulnerable families. If necessary, these professionals can refer families to the service and the service will make contact with the family. Referrals must meet the referral criteria and a specified form will need to be completed to enact a referral for support. These professionals and organisations will only be able to refer families with consent.
•	Support services who receive referrals for urgent support from mandatory reporters – such as police referrals to domestic violence services - may also refer families back to CBIR or IFS, with consent, to enable ongoing support for multiple and/or complex needs. 
•	Community members must be encouraged to contact the service for information that they can share with families they know who need assistance or to discuss concerns they have about children, young people and families. Community members will only be able to refer families with consent. 
•	Self-referrals will be encouraged by promotion of the service as a point of information and entry for family support.
Referrals from Child Safety Regional Intake Service (RIS) 
The department has the legislative authority to make referrals of families to specialist family support services without necessarily obtaining their consent. 
•	RIS can refer families who do not require a statutory response to specialist family support services including CBIR without prior consent. Where families do not engage with a CBIR service, the CBIR will advise Child Safety Services that the family has not engaged. This information will form part of the child protection history for the family and ensure that any further action from Child Safety services will consider the family’s engagement in secondary support services.
Referrals from Child Safety Service Centres (CSSC’s) 
•	CSSC’s can refer families where a child is not in need of protection. There may be situations that arise where a RIS may contact the CBIR directly to seek advice or facilitate a referral for a family. 
•	The department has the legislative authority to make referrals of families to specialist family support services without necessarily obtaining their consent. 
Hours of operation
•	The service must assist families to access the information, resources and support they need and will be open 52 weeks per year excluding public holidays. 
•	To increase accessibility for families, including working parents, phones will be staffed from 8.30am to 5.30pm on normal business days. It is a requirement that the service will meet the needs of families by providing flexible appointment times for families who cannot be contacted or access the service during normal business hours.
•	The service will not be expected to operate as normal on public holidays. 
•	Outside of the hours outlined above, the CBIR telephone system must be capable of receiving voicemail messages for a call-back on the next working day; and the CBIR voicemail will direct callers to the CBIR website which will provide the capacity to leave a message and provide access to self-help resources. 
CBIR staffing 
•	CBIR staff working directly with clients must hold university qualifications in human services or a relevant related field.  
•	The staff must be required to have demonstrated skills in engaging hard-to-reach families. 
•	The service must engage a professional multidisciplinary team, including specialist family support workers, specialist domestic and family violence worker/s and workers with other relevant qualifications, skills and experience such as youth workers and early childhood health or education professionals.
•	Organisations are also encouraged to recruit a full-time worker specifically for the lead Alliance function which will require a dedicated resource focussed on sector engagement and partnerships.
•	In some circumstances such as in remote parts of Queensland recruitment of staff with appropriate skills and experience can be difficult and a mix of qualifications, cultural connections and knowledge of the local area, skills and life experience may be reflected in the team. Organisations must support all staff to successfully meet the requirements of their role through internal and external training and encouragement to attain appropriate professional qualifications.  
Specialist domestic and family violence professional
•	The CBIR must recruit at least one full-time experienced specialist domestic and family violence professional. This is in recognition of the high proportion of vulnerable families that are affected by domestic and family violence; the high level of risk that domestic and family violence poses to the safety of children, young people and family members; and the specialist skills required to identify domestic and family violence, assess risk and safely engage with affected families, and develop appropriate service responses. 
•	This specialist role will ensure that the CBIR is highly aware of the nature and impact of domestic and family violence and that this awareness informs all points of engagement with referrers and family members.  
•	The role will work as part of the CBIR team to provide specialist advice and assistance to other CBIR staff members and those contacting the service. This will include assessment of referrals into the CBIR to screen for domestic and family violence, and to undertake risk assessments where domestic and family violence is identified. 
•	This worker will provide colleagues and enquirers with advice on safe engagement strategies for families affected by domestic and family violence, including strategies to assess, monitor and minimise risk to family members and workers, and will participate in client home visits where appropriate. 
•	The role will also assist with assessment of client needs, and decisions regarding intensive support, case management and referral pathways. 
•	This role will also be responsible for maximising the domestic and family violence capability of the Local Level Alliance in partnership with local domestic and family violence services.
Cultural capability 
•	The CBIR must ensure their staff are culturally capable and have regular access to training. 
•	Funded organisations must recruit a diverse team that reflects cultural diversity in the local community wherever possible. 
•	In recognition of the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care and the department’s commitment to assist families to safely care for their children at home, organisations are encouraged to recruit staff who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 
•	In areas where there are high populations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, organisations are encouraged to recruit proportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to the CBIR team. 
•	In addition, CBIR services must be capable of responding in a culturally sensitive way to families from Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. 
•	Alliances must include significant CALD organisations as appropriate for the particular catchment. 
Consent based engagement 
•	Informed consent is critical to the service model. Family members need to agree to accept support by providing consent which includes permission to share information with other service providers that can assist them. 
•	There are numerous points at which family consent will be sought to share their personal information. Families have the option of limiting or not permitting information sharing with particular services or organisations. Where the adults in the family have different views about consent, the service will work to ensure the adult willing to engage with support is safely able to provide consent and access the services they need.  
Practice framework and tools
•	Under the Child and Family Reform Program, the department will implement a new child protection practice framework (recommendation 7.1 of the Inquiry). The department will provide training to the staff of the CBIR services, IFS services and domestic and family violence services in relevant components of the new tertiary child protection practice framework to develop a shared practice approach across CBIR, intensive family support, domestic and family violence services and Child Safety Services. Participation in this training is required for all services. The department will meet the costs of training service providers in the practice framework. 
•	Alongside the new practice framework, tools including common assessment tools, will be provided by the department for use by CBIR and IFS services to develop a shared understanding and consistent practice across all CBIR’s.  
Principal Child Protection Practitioner (PCPP)
•	A senior child safety officer employed and supervised by the department will work within the CBIR to support the team in assessing risk to children and young people and engaging families who may be at risk of entry into the statutory child protection system. 
•	Each service will have access to on-site child protection expertise. 
•	The PCPP will also support professionals in the application of the Queensland Child Protection Guide. 
•	While the department will meet the wages and on-costs of the PCPP, the service will meet the costs of the office space and facilities and include the PCPP as one of the staff of the team in all organisational and professional activities. The salary costs of the PCPP will remain within the department’s budget. 
Brokerage funding 
•	Brokerage is available to be used for families who have consented to a service in order to respond to an immediate identified need to reduce risk or increase protective factors that impact on the safety and wellbeing of children and their families.  
•	Brokerage funds must be used by service providers for families who have consented to a service in order to respond to an immediate identified need to reduce risk or increase protective factors that impact on the safety and wellbeing of children and their families. 
•	Brokerage funds purchase specialist services or goods that contribute to the overall needs and wellbeing of the child and family consistent with the outcomes and intentions of the intervention.
•	A brokerage fund of up to 5% of total grant funding is available.
Evaluation
•	Funded organisations will be required to participate in evaluation by providing information and data as required by the department and evaluation partners. The evaluation may include longitudinal follow-up of a statistically valid sample of families, with their consent, to assess their experiences following the CBIR response they received.
Reporting
•	Services are required to enter data on the Assessment, Referral and Case Management ARC system, a program developed specifically for the secondary family support service system and;
•	Services are required to complete quarterly performance reporting on the department’s online reporting system OASIS. 
7.8.2 	Considerations — Community Based Intake and Referral (T347)
Response types
Enquires to the CBIR will fall into the following general response types:
Enquiry - Response type 1
•	Where the CBIR makes an initial assessment that the concerns raised about children are relatively low level, the CBIR will provide advice to the enquirer on how they could respond to the situation themselves. This might take the form of protective advice, suggestions for staying engaged with and supporting the family or information about local universal services that can connect the family with their community. This advice may be provided via telephone, e-mail, face to face and/or through providing a brochure to the subject family which provides details about local support services either by email or through the post.
Enquiry - Response type 2
•	Where the CBIR makes an initial assessment that the concern raised about children is more complex but requires one principal service response, the CBIR will encourage and support the enquirer to gain the consent of the family or individual family member for a referral to a specialist service provider recommended by the CBIR; and for the enquirer to then make a direct referral to the recommended specialist service. 
Enquiry - Response type 3
•	Where the CBIR makes an initial assessment that the concern raised is more complex or urgent which requires one principal service response, but a CBIR facilitated referral to the specialist service is warranted, the CBIR will support the enquirer to gain the family or individual family member’s consent, and to facilitate a three-way engagement between the enquirer, the CBIR and the specialist service to prepare for a smooth referral process. 
Enquiry - Response type 4 
•	Where the CBIR makes an initial assessment that the concerns are highly complex and in need of multiple responses, the CBIR will ask the enquirer to use their connection with the family to gain consent if possible. If this is possible, the CBIR will accept the initial referral; undertake a more detailed needs assessment; identify the range of services required by the family; and if an immediate referral is not possible, undertake active-holding by keeping in touch with the family before handing the case over to an Intensive Family Support (IFS) or other lead agency as soon as there is capacity in that service. 
•	The department estimates that approximately 25 per cent of enquiries received by a CBIR will fall into a ‘response type 4’; every effort will be made by the CBIR to make sure this cohort is only the most high risk and/or complex families. 
•	While every CBIR will have a designated IFS service to undertake more intensive work with these families, if the IFS is at capacity, then the CBIR will actively support the family to engage with alternative intensive family support options.
Referrals from a CBIR service
•	The CBIR may refer to any appropriate service whether it forms part of the Alliance or not; however, the newly funded or enhanced IFS and domestic and family violence services in the CBIR catchment should be the first option to accept a CBIR referral. These new and enhanced services, as well as existing intensive family support services funded through the department, will be required through their service agreements to accept and prioritise CBIR referrals.
7.9	Support — Assessment and Service Connect (T448)
Assessment and Service Connect (ASC) intends to provide needs-based responses to children and their families aimed at increasing safety. 

ASC is a values approach to the undertaking of the assessment of whether a child is in need of protection and provision of needs-based intervention and support. It is a model of Child Safety working with families, in partnership with ASC co-responder services, to complete an assessment process and response planning to provide intervention to children and families to increase safety.  

The objective of an ASC response is to determine if a child is in need of protection and provide children and families with the right service, at the right time, in the right place, to increase safety. 

Key aspects of providing the right ASC service include:
•	Proportional responses to concerns for children’s safety and wellbeing.
•	Culturally responsive service delivery to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
•	Integrated responses to domestic and family violence.
•	Coordinated and partnered assessment and service delivery.

Key aspects of providing an ASC response at the right time include:
•	Enhancing access to early support to keep children safely at home.
•	Timely responses to enable rigorous and balanced assessment.

Key aspects of providing an ASC response at the right place is:
•	To deliver an investment in place-based services across Queensland’s vast geographical and demographic variances. 
•	Maximising service system investment and capacity through more efficient service integration and triaging processes.

The right service, at the right time, in the right place, relies on a child and family system that partners to work collaboratively to ensure Queensland children are cared for, protected, safe and able to reach their full potential.
7.9.1 	Requirements— Assessment and Service Connect (T448)
Service scope:
The scope of the ASC funded service is assessment and service provision following notification that a child may be in need of protection. 

When investigating and assessing notifications of harm, or alleged risk of harm, Child Safety can partner with non-government and government service providers, including ASC funded services, to: 
•	effectively engage the child and their family 
•	assess whether the child is in need of protection
•	prevent future harm to children 
•	increase safety, belonging and wellbeing through intervention

This partnership will be referred to as an ASC co-response. 

Where identified as appropriate during an ASC response, Child Safety will partner with co-responders. Child Safety will identify responses that are suitable for co-response and where identified seek to engage a co-responder. 

A response may have more than one co-responder, if appropriate to the child and family’s needs, such as:
•	ASC funded service providers.
•	Any other government funded or government service provider able to respond and identified by the department as appropriate based on the family’s characteristics (e.g. cultural background; current services; presenting issues, such as domestic and family violence or mental health).

The role of the co-responder will be to partner with the Child Safety Officer to assist in the assessment process through engaging with the family and enable, support and inform the response provided to the child and their family.

Where the co-responder is the ASC funded service their role will be to assist the child and their family to receive the support and services they need to increase safety and decrease the likelihood of the child entering out-of-home care. 

The ASC funded service’s first contact with a family will be undertaken with the authorised Child Safety Officer. Any further ASC funded service contact with the family will be with the family’s consent. If the family does not consent, contact with an ASC service must cease and only the department will continue the assessment. 

Referral Pathway: 
•	The ASC service will only accept referrals from Child Safety Services. 
Hours of operation
•	The service must be open 52 weeks per year excluding public holidays. 
•	Phones will be staffed from 8.30am to 5.30pm on normal business days. 
•	It is a requirement that the service is able to operate outside normal business hours if requested by Child Safety to meet the requirements of a ASC response for a particular referral. 
•	The service will not be expected to operate on public holidays. 
ASC staffing 
•	ASC staff working directly with clients must hold university qualifications in human services or a relevant related field.  
•	The staff must be required to have demonstrated skills in engaging hard-to-reach families. 
•	The service must engage a professional multidisciplinary team, including workers with skills and knowledge to work with clients experiencing issues such as domestic and family violence, drug and alcohol misuse, mental health issues, disabilities, and development delays in children. 
•	In some circumstances such as in remote parts of Queensland recruitment of staff with appropriate skills and experience can be difficult and a mix of qualifications, cultural connections and knowledge of the local area, skills and life experience may be reflected in the team. Organisations must support all staff to successfully meet the requirements of their role through internal and external training and encouragement to attain appropriate professional qualifications.  
Culturally respectful practice  
•	The ASC must ensure their staff are culturally capable and have regular access to training. 
•	Funded organisations must recruit a diverse team that reflects cultural diversity in the local community wherever possible. 
•	In recognition of the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care and the department’s commitment to assist families to safely care for their children at home, organisations are encouraged to recruit staff who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 
•	In areas where there are high populations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, organisations are encouraged to recruit proportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to the ASC team. 
•	In addition, ASC services must be capable of responding in a culturally sensitive way to families from Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. 
Departmental Policies and Procedures
•	The authority for ASC is provided through the ASC Operational Policy.  This policy is supported by Operational Policy Guidelines.  These guidelines are provided by the department to service providers and Child Safety staff to support service delivery.
Evaluation
•	Funded organisations will be required to participate in evaluation by providing information and data as required by the department and evaluation partners. This may include providing information as frequently as monthly.
Reporting
•	Services are required to complete quarterly performance reporting on  the department’s online reporting system - OASIS 
•	Services may be required to use the ASC case management system to record information about referrals and families they have contact with.  This is likely to be an InfoExchange SRS system. This will include recording information required for evaluation purposes.
•	As part of all relevant Investigation and Assessment Events in ICMS, Child Safety records a summary of the action taken to support a child’s protection. Where a ASC funded service is part of the response, they will provide sufficient information to assist the Child Safety officer to comprehensively complete this record on ICMS.  
8. 	Service modes
Service delivery modes are the type of physical setting in which a service is provided to a client.
8.1 		Families service modes
•	Family Support Services may be provided in various delivery modes (centre-based, mobile, and virtual) to ensure that services are delivered in the most appropriate mode to meet the needs of the client. 
•	
9. 		Deliverables and performance measures 

The following deliverables and performance measures are funded under the Families funding area. The service agreement will identify the relevant outputs and measures for each service outlet, the quantum to be delivered and the range of measures to be collected and reported. 

COUNTING RULES, DESCRIPTORS AND REPORTING EXAMPLES: For counting rules, detailed descriptors and examples please refer to the Catalogue (Version 1) at: https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/funding-and-grants/output-funding-and-reporting

OUTCOME MEASUREMENT:  All quantitative reporting on outcome measures can be supplemented with optional qualitative evidence. Qualitative reports can be uploaded to OASIS using IS70. As qualitative reporting is optional the IS70 code will not appear in agreements but will be visible in OASIS.

Service Users	Service Types	Outputs	
U3050 – At risk families
U3113 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence
U3310 – Statutory Service Users
U3330 – Vulnerable families with children 
U3333 – Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families 
U3340 – Referrers and enquirers	T313 – Support – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing
T327 – Support – Intensive family support
T331 - Support - Safe Haven
T334 – Support – Secondary Family Support
T336 – Support – Targeted family support
T339 - Support - Tertiary Family Support
T347 – Support - Community based intake and referral
T448 – Support – Assessment and Service Connect 

	A01.1.06 – Information, advice, individual advocacy, engagement and/or referral  
A01.2.02 – Case management
A01.2.08 – Counselling
A02.5.02 – Development of family/household management skills  
A07.1.02 – Integrated Service System Development 
A07.1.04 – Volunteer resource development and/or placement 
A07.2.02 – Community/community centre-based development, coordination and support 

The following information relates to information found in items 6.2 and 7.1 in a Service Agreement or 6.2 and 9.1 in a Short Form Service Agreement 

U3050  - At risk families

Relates to item 6.2 & 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	Relates to item 6.2 of the agreement	Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Output        	Quantity per  annum	Number of Service Users	Output Measures	

U3050	
T327	A01.2.02
Case management	Number of hours	Number of Service Users	A01.2.02
	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3050	T312	A01.2.08
Counselling	Number of hours	Number of Service Users 	A01.2.08
	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3050	T347	A07.1.02
Integrated Service System Development	Milestones	NA	A07.1.02
	Milestones	
U3050
U3050	T448
T448	A07.1.02
Integrated Service System Development
	Number of hours
	Number of Service Users
	A07.1.02
	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3050	T448	A01.1.06
Information, advice, individual advocacy, engagement and/or referral	Number of hours
	Number of Service Users
	A01.1.06	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	

Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service   User Code	Service Type Code	Throughput  Measure  	
U3050	T327	IS132	Number of Service Users with cases commenced during the reporting period	
U3050	T327	IS133	Number of existing Service Users	
U3050	T347			
U3050	T448			
U3050	T327	IS145	Number of Service Users who have exited from the service	
U3050	T347			
U3050	T448			
U3050	T327	IS201	Number of referrals received	
U3050	T347			
U3050	T448			
U3050	T327	GM07	Number of Service Users with cases closed as a result of the majority of identified needs being met	
U3050	T448			
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Demographic Measure	
U3050	T327	IS35	Number of Service Users identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	
U3050	T347			
U3050	T448			
U3050	T327	IS39	Number of Service Users identifying as being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds	
U3050	T347			
U3050	T448			
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Outcome Measure	
U3050	T327	OM2.1.01	Number of Service Users that have shown improvements in being safe and/or protected from harm	
U3050	T347			
U3050	T327	OM2.1.08	Number of Service Users with improved life skills	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Other Measure		
U3050	T347	IS70	Upload a Report – Local Level Alliance	
NA	NA	GM01	Number of occasions information advice and referral were provided  (not provided elsewhere)	
U3050	T312	GM16	What significant achievements or factors have impacted on the quality of service delivery during the reporting period?	
U3050	T448			
U3050	T448	IS70	Complete and upload reports as per the templates provided (closures and referrals out)	

U3113  - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in three discrete Indigenous communities experiencing or witnessing domestic violence

Relates to item 6.2 & 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	Relates to item 6.2 of the agreement	Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Output        	Quantity per  annum	Number of Service Users	Output Measures	
U3113	T331	A01.2.02
Case management	Number of hours	Number of Service Users	A01.2.02
	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3113	T331	A01.1.06
Information, advice, individual advocacy, engagement and/or referral 	Milestones	NA	A01.1.06
	Milestones	
U3113	T331
	A07.2.02
Community/community centre-based development, coordination and support  	Milestones	NA	A07.2.02
	Milestones	

Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Throughput  Measure  	
U3113	T331	IS132	Number of Service Users with cases commenced during the reporting period	
U3113	T331	IS133	Number of existing Service Users	
U3113	T331	IS145	Number of Service Users who have exited from the service	
U3113	T331	IS201	Number of referrals received	
U3113	T331	GM07	Number of Service Users with cases closed as a result of the majority of identified needs being met	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Demographic Measure	
U3113	T331	IS35	Number of Service Users identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	
U3113	T331	IS39	Number of Service Users identifying as being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Outcome Measure	
U3113	T331	OM2.1.08	Number of Service Users with improved life skills	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Other Measure		
U3113	T331	IS151	Value of brokerage expenditure	
U3113	T331	GM01	Number of occasions information advice and referral were provided  (not provided elsewhere)	
U3113	T331	GM16	What significant achievements or factors have impacted on the quality of service delivery during the reporting period.	

U3310  - Statutory Service Users

Relates to item 6.2 & 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	Relates to item 6.2 of the agreement	Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Output        	Quantity per  annum	Number of Service Users	Output Measures	
U3310	T339

	A01.2.02
Case Management	Number of hours	Number of Families	A01.2.02	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of families who received a service during the reporting period	

Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Throughput  Measure  	
U3310	T339	IS132	Number of Service Users with cases commenced during the reporting period	
U3310	T339	IS133	Number of existing Service Users	
U3310	T339	IS145	Number of Service Users who have exited from the service	
U3310	T339	IS201	Number of referrals received	
U3310	T339	GM07	Number of Service Users with cases closed as a result of the majority of identified needs being met	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Demographic Measure	
U3310	T339	IS35	Number of Service Users identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	
U3310	T339	IS39	Number of Service Users identifying as being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds	

Service User Code	Service Type Code	Outcome Measure	
U3310	T339	OM2.1.01	Number of Service Users that have shown improvements in being safe and/or protected from harm	
U3310	T339	OM2.1.08	Number of Service Users with improved life skills	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Other Measure		
U3310	T339	IS151	Value of brokerage expenditure	
U3310	T339	IS204	Number of cases per case worker (FTE positions)	
U3310	T339	GM01	Number of occasions information advice and referral were provided  (not provided elsewhere)	
U3310	T339	GM16	What significant achievements or factors have impacted on the quality of service delivery during the reporting period.	

U3330  - Vulnerable families with children

Relates to item 6.2 & 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	Relates to item 6.2 of the agreement	Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Output        	Quantity per  annum	Number of Service Users	Output Measures	
U3330	T334	A01.2.02
Case management	Number of hours	Number of Service Users 	A01.2.02	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
U3330	T336					Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3330	T334	A07.2.02
Community/ community centre-based development coordination and support	Milestones	NA	A01.2.02
	Milestones	
U3330	T336						
U3330	T336
	A01.2.08
Counselling	Number of hours	Number of Service Users 	A01.2.08	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3330	T336	A02.5.02
Development of family/household management skills	Number of hours	Number of Service Users 	A02.5.02	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3330	T334	A07.1.04
Volunteer resource development and/or placement	Milestones 	NA	A07.1.04
	Milestones	
U3330	T336						

Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Throughput  Measure  	
U3330	T334	IS132	Number of Service Users with cases commenced during the reporting period	
U3330	T336			
U3330	T334	IS133	Number of existing Service Users	
U3330	T336			
U3330	T334	IS145	Number of Service Users who have exited from the service	
U3330	T336			
U3330	T334	IS201	Number of referrals received	
U3330	T336			
U3330	T334	GM07	Number of Service Users with cases closed as a result of the majority of identified needs being met	
U3330	T336			
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Demographic Measure	
U3330	T334	IS35
	Number of Service Users identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	
U3330	T336			
U3330	T334	IS39	Number of Service Users identifying as being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds	
U3330	T336			

Service User Code	Service Type Code	Outcome Measure	
U3330	T334	OM2.1.08	Number of Service Users with improved life skills	
U3330	T336			
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Other Measure		
U3330	T334	GM01	Number of occasions information advice and referral were provided  (not provided elsewhere)	
U3330	T336			
U3330	T334	GM16	What significant achievements or factors have impacted on the quality of service delivery during the reporting period.	
U3330	T336			
U3330	T334	IS70	Upload Report –   Community/Centre Based Development and Support (AO7.2.02) 
Upload Report -  Volunteer Resource Development and/or Placement (A07.1.04)	
U3330	T336			

U3333  - Vulnerable and/or at risk Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families

Relates to item 6.2 & 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	Relates to item 6.2 of the agreement	Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Output        	Quantity per  annum	Number of Service Users	Output Measures	
U3333
	T313	A01.2.02
Case management	Number of hours	Number of Service Users 	A01.2.02	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	
U3333
	T313	A01.1.06
Information, advice, individual advocacy, engagement and/or referral	Number of hours	Number of Service Users	A01.1.06
	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	
						Number of Service Users who received a service during the reporting period	

Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Throughput  Measure  	
U3333	T313	IS132	Number of Service Users with cases commenced during the reporting period	
U3333	T313	IS133	Number of existing Service Users	
U3333	T313	IS145	Number of Service Users who have exited from the service	
U3333	T313	IS201	Number of referrals received	
U3333	T313	GM07	Number of Service Users with cases closed as a result of the majority of identified needs being met	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Demographic Measure	
U3333	T313	IS35
	Number of Service Users identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	
U3333	T313	IS39	Number of Service Users identifying as being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds	

Service User Code	Service Type Code	Outcome Measure	
U3333	T313	OM2.1.01	Number of Service Users that have shown improvements in being safe and/or protected from harm	
U3333	T313	OM2.1.08	Number of Service Users with improved life skills	
U3333	T313	OM2.1.02	Number of Service Users with improved cultural identity / connectedness	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Other Measure		
U3333	T313	GM01	Number of occasions information, advice and referral were provided  (not provided elsewhere)	

U3340 - Referrers and enquirers

Relates to item 6.2 & 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	Relates to item 6.2 of the agreement	Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Output        	Quantity per  annum	Number of Service Users	Output Measures	
U3340	T347
	A07.1.02
Integrated Service System Development	Milestones	NA	A07.1.02	Milestones	
U3340	T347
T448	A01.1.06
Information, advice, individual advocacy, engagement and/or referral	Number of hours	NA	A01.1.06	Number of hours provided during the reporting period	

Relates to item 7.1 or 9.1 of the agreement	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Throughput  Measure  	
U3340	T347
T448	IS133	Number of existing Service Users	
U3340	T347
T448	IS145	Number of Service Users who have exited from the service	
U3340	T347
T448	IS201	Number of referrals received	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Demographic Measure	
U3340	T347
T448	IS35
	Number of Service Users identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	
U3340	T347
T448	IS39	Number of Service Users identifying as being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds	

Service User Code	Service Type Code	Outcome Measure	
U3340	T347
T448	OM2.1.01	Number of service users that have shown improvements in being safe and/or protected from harm	
Service User Code	Service Type Code	Other Measure		
U3340	T347	GM01	Number of occasions information advice and referral were provided  (not provided elsewhere)	

10. 	Contact information
For further information regarding this investment specification, please contact your nearest service centre at: https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/communityservices/contact-us/service-centres-by-region
For information regarding current funding opportunities, visit the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services website at: https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/funding-and-grants.

11. 	Other funding and supporting documents
•	Investment Specifications (https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/funding-and-grants/investment-domains-guideline-and-investment-specifications):
1.	Child Protection (Support Services)
2.	Child Protection (Placement Services)
3.	Families
4.	Domestic and Family Violence
5.	Individuals
6.	Young people
7.	Older people
8.	Community
9.	Service System Support and Development
•	Catalogue (https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/funding-and-grants/output-funding-and-reporting)
•	Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF) (https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/funding-and-grants/human-services-quality-framework)

Report - Community/community centre-based development, coordination and support (A07.2.02)	
Quarterly output summary report
Quarter from:   insert start date   to insert end date    
Community/centre-based  development 
and support activities / events 	Number of agencies 	Number of participants	Comments 	
	(if applicable) 	(if applicable) 	(e.g.: aim of event, who participated, location, feedback, benefits/outcomes etc.) 	
				
(Insert more rows as needed)				

Case Study (optional) 	

Report – Volunteer resource development and/or placement (A07.1.04)	
Quarterly output summary report
Quarter from:   insert start date   to insert end date    

 Number of training and development session 	Number of volunteers	Number of families supported 		

(Insert more rows as needed)				

Case Study (optional) 	

Report – brokerage expenditure - family support 	
(Organisation name)

Quarter from:   insert start date   to insert end date    

Date   	      Link to case plan           	       Type of expenditure         	        Organisation/Company      	Amount         	

					

					

					

					

					
					
End of quarter			                                Total expenditure 		

Number of Service Users supported with brokerage funds this quarter:

Trends and issues: 

Other comments:  

Report - Wellbeing Domains 	Needs identification record / Needs assessment record	
Family Name:  ______________________________________________	Case ID:  ________________________________
Family Safety	Challenge	Moderate challenge	Adequate	Moderate strength	Strength	No information	Not applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Does the Child or young person have a safe home environment?
Does the child or young person display risky behaviour (such as running away from home or absences from school)?	The Family Safety domain area focuses on unsafe behaviours or an unsafe environment that could negatively impact a child’s wellbeing. 

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family, please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers family safety to be a concern at the time.	
	Considerations about the family:
Is there a history of family and domestic violence?
Is there a history of child abuse or neglect?
Does the family environment include problems relating to drug and alcohol use?
Does the family environment include problems relating to crime?		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Is the child or young person safe at school (e.g. bullying)?
Does the child or young person live in a safe neighbourhood?		
Comments

	
 Refer additional comments page	
Material Wellbeing	Challenge	Moderate Challenge	Adequate	Moderate Strength	Strength	No Information	Not Applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Are the child’s or young person’s basic care needs being met (including food and clothing)?	The Material Wellbeing domain area focuses on the family’s access to housing, food and other basic needs. For instance, a family is said to have adequate material wellbeing if they have access to some income (such as a Centrelink benefit), are renting or buying a house (that is large enough to accommodate them), or if the family is able to pay their bills and buy food and clothing. 

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family, please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers material wellbeing to be a concern at the time.	
	Considerations about the family:
Does the family have a regular income?
Is at least one parent participating in education/ training?
Does the family adequately manage their financial and material resources?
Is the family home safe, affordable and suitable?
Is the family able to buy food and clothing?		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Does the family have access to appropriate government services? 
Does the family have access to transport (their own car or public transport)?
Does the family participate in ordinary community life?		
Comments	
 Refer additional comments page	
Connections	Challenge	Moderate Challenge	Adequate	Moderate Strength	Strength	No Information	Not Applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Does the child or young person have a sense of belonging, at home, at school and in the community?
Does the child or young person have strong relationships with his or her peers and with adults?	The Connections domain area focuses on the types of support networks the family and young person have. Good connections foster a sense of belonging/ identity and facilitate supportive relationships.

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers connections to be a concern at the time.	
	Considerations about the family:
Does the family have strong relationships with relatives, friends and neighbours? 		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Does the family or child have a good knowledge of local support networks in the community?
Does the family or child find support through their spiritual connections?		
Comments	
 Refer additional comments page	
Health	Challenge	Moderate Challenge	Adequate	Moderate Strength	Strength	No Information	Not Applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Does the child or young person have good physical health?
Does the child or young person have good mental health and emotional wellbeing?
Does the child or young person undertake regular exercise and have a nutritional diet? 	The Health domain area focuses on the family’s access to healthcare and treatment of existing health and mental health issues, as well as embracing a healthy lifestyle to maintain good health. 

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family, please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers health to be a concern at the time.	
	Considerations about the family:
Is there a chronic illness in the family?
Has a member of the family been recently hospitalised?
Do the adults in the family have good mental and emotional health?
Is there a suspected undiagnosed health issue?
Does the family manage their prescribed medications well?		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Does the family have access to health services?
Does the family have access to mental health services?
Does the family have access to respite services?
Does the family have access to leisure, sport and recreation options?
Does the family have access to infrastructure that supports mobility (e.g. wheelchair access)?		
Comments	
 Refer additional comments page	
Child Wellbeing	Challenge	Moderate Challenge	Adequate	Moderate Strength	Strength	No Information	Not Applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Does the child or young person seek out or have opportunities to undertake social activities?
Is the child or young person achieving developmental milestones?
Does the child or young person have developmentally appropriate learning opportunities?
Does the child or young person have the ability to communicate thoughts to others?	The Child Wellbeing domain area focuses on opportunities for a child or young person to undertake activities that positively impact on his or her development and wellbeing. 

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family, please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers child wellbeing to be a concern at the time.	
	Considerations about the family:
Do the parents/ other family members have the ability and knowledge to support the child/young person?
Does the child have an opportunity to engage with his/ her parent(s) (i.e. playing, reading)?		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Does the family have access to specialist services?
Does the family have access to sports, leisure and entertainment activities?
Does the child participate in child care/ play group/ school? 		
Comments	
 Refer additional comments page	
Parenting	Challenge	Moderate Challenge	Adequate	Moderate Strength	Strength	No Information	Not Applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Does the child interact positively with his or her parent(s)?
Does the child have contact with both parents?	The Parenting domain area focuses on parenting issues or concerns that could impact on a child’s development and home environment. 

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family, please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers family safety to be a concern at the time.	
	Considerations about the family:
Do the parents provide age appropriate activities for the child?
Is the parent confident?
Does the parent provide a family routine?
Is there a positive and responsive parent/ child relationship?
Does the parent employ positive child behaviour management techniques?
Does the parent provide play/ learning activities?
Does the parent teach the child life skills?
Does the parent teach the child the impact of any cultural beliefs?
Does the parent have a motivation to change their parenting style?
Is there involvement of relatives and extended family in child rearing?		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Does the family have access to culturally appropriate support?
Does the family have access to family/ community networks?		
Comments	
 Refer additional comments page	
Family Interactions	Challenge	Moderate Challenge	Adequate	Moderate Strength	Strength	No Information	Not Applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Does the Child or young person feel included in the family?	The Family Interactions domain area focuses on the family relationship environment that ensures relationships are fostered and with a strong network. Discord in the family can strain these relationships, causing the child or young person to feel excluded. 

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family, please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers family interactions to be a concern at the time.	
	Considerations about the family:
Is there a positive parent/ carer and child relationship?
Does the family have a high quality of life?
Has the family experienced separation?
Do the parents have a good relationship?
Do the siblings have a good relationship?		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Does the family have access to culturally appropriate family support services?
Is there effective informal support available to the family (family and friends)?
Does the family have opportunities for leisure, sport and entertainment activities?
Does the family have relatives and extended family networks?		
Comments	
 Refer additional comments page	

FAMILY WELLBEING SERVICES 
Cultural Identity/
Connectedness	Challenge	Moderate Challenge	Adequate	Moderate Strength	Strength	No Information	Not Applicable	
Overall Assessment								
Key risk factors and things to consider when making a decision
	Considerations about the child/ young person:
Does the child or young person have a sense of cultural identity and connectedness, at home, at school and in the community?
Does the child or young person participate in and develop links with their culture, their cultural community and country (if the two are different)?	The Cultural Identity/Connectedness domain area focuses on the types of links the family and young person have with their culture and in their community and country (if the two are different). Good connections foster a sense of belonging/ identity and facilitate supportive relationships.

When making an assessment on the challenge or strength of the domain area for the family please consider the items to the left and make an overall assessment on whether you or the family considers cultural identity and connectedness to be a concern at the time.
	
	Considerations about the family:
Does the family have strong cultural identity and connectedness with kin, friends, and community? Do they participate in and develop links with their culture, their cultural community and country (if the two are different)?		
	Considerations about the child’s community:
Does the family or child have a good knowledge of local cultural networks in their community and country (if the two are different), and participate in and develop links with their culture and their community and country?
Does the family or child find support through their spiritual connections?		
Comments	
 Refer additional comments page	

Report – Local Level Alliance	
Location: 
Report for the quarter ending: (e.g.; 31 March 2015)
MEETING DATES: 
KEY ISSUES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
Referrals
Include as appropriate:
•	Strategies implemented or planned which have resulted in effective referral pathways for clients. 
•	Responses to Identified barriers to clients accessing the right service at the right time.
•	Any factors influencing referral pathways. 
•	Highlight strategies implemented which have resulted in increased referrals and engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and/or culturally and linguistically diverse clients.
Collaboration 
Include as appropriate:
•	Strategies implemented or planned to increase or support case collaboration between services to the benefit of shared clients. 
•	Issues identified as barriers to effective case collaboration in supporting mutual clients.
Service System 
Include as appropriate:
•	Describe what is working well 
•	Innovated responses and solutions to service system issues. 
•	Identified local requirements for the long-term improvements of the service system in supporting families to keep children safe.
•	Identified service gaps.
•	Emerging trends and issues. 
Information and data sharing
Include as appropriate:
•	Systems or processes implemented or planned to facilitate sharing of personal client information between services to support client outcomes.
•	Strategies to strengthen sharing of service level data between local providers. 
Time
Required:
•	Number of hours spent on Alliance related work by the FaCC service for the quarter. 
PRIORITIES 
Include as appropriate: 
•	Priorities and key focus areas for the next quarter
•	Development of governance structures and terms of reference.
•	Projects and action plans. 	
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – List of Local Level Alliance membership 
Attachment 2 – List of attendees for each meeting
Attachment 3 – (optional) Case Study – One Family’s Story and the service system response (excluding any identifying information) 

Report template – IS70 Qualitative evidence to supplement outcome measure (Optional) 	

Please make sure any information provided regarding Service Users is de-identified.  Keep word length to 250 words.
Reporting period from:   insert start date   to insert end date    
Outcome measure:  insert measure

Supplementary qualitative evidence to outcome measure:
[insert here]

Report – IS70 for T448 Closures and Referrals	

Template will be provided for ASC services to report the following:
Closures
Closure Reason 	Further reasoning	
Referral not accepted 	•	Service capacity 
•	Other	
Indirect service only (no contact with family) (A07.1.02)
		
Indirect service and initial contact with family only (A07.1.02 and A01.1.06)	•	No consent for further direct service
•	Needs met at Initial Family Contact
•	Other	
Early exist after initial contact (A07.1.02 and A01.1.06)	•	Unable to contact/locate family
•	Family withdrew consent/disengaged
•	Service response was no longer appropriate due to child protection concerns (Child Safety continues)
•	Other	
Direct and indirect service completed (A07.1.02 and A01.1.06)		
	
Referrals
Referrals made by the ASC service to other providers (there may be more than one per service user).  Examples of service types are:
•	ATSI Wellbeing
•	Other ATSI family support
•	Intensive Family Support
•	Other child and family support
•	Domestic and Family Violence
•	Substance Misuse
•	Mental Health – Child
•	Mental Health - Other
•	Disability
•	Youth
•	Health 
•	Other