What you can expect

When children, young people and their families work with Child Safety they can expect to be treated:

• fairly
• without bias
• professionally and courteously
• with respect and understanding.

Sometimes we will need to contact a child, young person or their family. We may:

• visit them at home
• call them
• arrange for them to attend an interview at a child safety service centre
• write a letter or email them
• see them at a court or tribunal appearance, or
• visit the child or young person in a care arrangement.

This can involve:

Contact with a family at home

We may visit a family in their home for a number of reasons:

• If we have received information in relation to child protection concerns that require a standard or priority response to a notification, a child safety officer will visit the home to conduct an assessment.
• When a family is working with Child Safety to meet their child or young person's safety, belonging and wellbeing needs, a child safety officer or child safety support officer may visit the family home to provide intensive support and assistance to the child, young person and their family.
• If a child or young person is not living in their family home, then a child safety officer or child safety support officer may visit the home to provide family contact for the child, young person and their family.

If Child Safety is working towards a returning a child to their home, a child safety officer may visit the home to assess the family’s ability and willingness for the child to return.

Home visits

Home visits generally refer to when a child safety officer visits a child or young person that we are working with as part of ongoing intervention. This may be either in the family home or in the home of a carer or care service. Home visits allow the child safety officer to see the how the child or young person is going and address any issues or concerns they might have.

When we visit a home we are required to show proof of our identity and explain the reason for our visit.

Interviews in child safety service centres

Interviews may occur in a child safety service centre when we are conducting a priority response assessment or when a family is working with Child Safety to meet the protection and care needs of the child or young person.

• When conducting a priority response assessment in response to a notification a child safety officer will interview the child or young person and all adults who care for them including step-parents, partners of a parent, and any another adult that lives in their house.
• A child safety officer may contact parents or any other significant people to arrange a time for them to attend the child safety service centre to discuss any child protection issues.

When families are involved in ongoing intervention with Child Safety, they may attend a child safety service centre to participate in interviews, family group meetings, family contact, or to discuss case management with their child safety officer or senior team leader.

Assessment outcomes

Child Safety is legally required to advise parents of the outcome of any assessment that has been conducted. This includes standard response assessments and priority response assessments.

Priority response assessments

There are six possible outcomes for a priority response assessment:

• Child in need of protection
• Child not in need of protection—Child in need of support: referral unable to be progressed
• Child not in need of protection—Referral to a support service
• Child not in need of protection—No further action
• Ongoing intervention continues
• No assessment completed

The outcomes recorded do not require the criminal standard of proof, that is - 'beyond a reasonable doubt' - but are determined on the 'balance of probability', that is - more likely than not.

Priority response outcomes are determined by the assessment of harm and risk of harm to the child or young person and whether they have a parent able and willing to protect them from harm.

For further information on these outcomes, refer to the Child Safety Practice Manual, Decide the outcome of a priority response.

Standard response assessments

There are four possible outcomes for a standard response assessment:

• Assessed and closed
• Assessed, referred and closed
• No assessment completed
• Reviewed and closed.

For further information on these outcomes, refer to the Child Safety Practice Manual, Finalise a standard response.