3. Develop the case plan
3.1 Convene a family group meeting
The format of the family group meeting will be based on the following considerations:
- the wishes and views of the child and family about how they would like the meeting to be conducted
- the need for the discussions and process to be inclusive and participatory
- cultural advice obtained from a relevant agency
- cultural advice from the recognised entity or members of the community to whom the child belongs, for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child
- whether separate meetings are required
- the likely complexity of the issues.
Where a family group meeting is to be held for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child and an Indigenous convenor is not available, an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander staff member must, wherever possible and appropriate, be assigned to assist the convenor in preparing for and facilitating the family group meeting.
Where a family group meeting is to be held for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child, also ensure that there is an acknowledgement of the traditional land owners at the opening of the family group meeting.
Separate family group meetings
Where there are issues of domestic and family violence, or there is significant conflict between the parents, consider holding separate family group meetings to develop the case plan. In these circumstances ensure that the information recorded in the case plan does not jeopardise the safety of a child, parent or participant.
Key stages of the family group meeting
A family group meeting will be structured around addressing the child's protection and care needs, will be facilitated by the convenor and will be made up of the following five stages:
- welcome and introduction to the meeting
- provide information to the participants
- reach agreement about the purpose of the meeting and the process for developing the case plan
- discuss the child protection concerns and relevant assessment information
- develop and confirm the case plan
- ending the family group meeting.
3.2 Develop key items in the case plan
At the family group meeting the convener will guide the discussion with the participants to formulate an agreed case plan which is comprehensive and addresses the child's protection and care needs. The plan needs to be and are specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented and time-limited. For further information refer to Developing the goal, outcomes and actions.
In completing the development of the case plan, the convenor may use the case plan format to guide the discussion at the family group meeting. Each item should be worded to reflect the intent of the meeting, and must be able to be understood by all participants at the meeting.
In developing the case plan for a child, where they have had a previous case plan, ensure that the provisions of the child's health passport, education support plan, cultural support plan, and Evolve plan, where applicable, are considered as part of the development of the case plan.
The key items of the case plan that must be addressed are outlined below.
1. Type of ongoing intervention and summary of child protection concerns
Identify the type of ongoing intervention that is to occur, and write a concise summary of the current child protection concerns for the child, to be addressed by the case plan. Include in this summary, any parental needs identified that have not been included as part of the three priority needs for this case plan.
2. Case plan goal
Identify one of the following case plan goals, to ensure that Child Safety Services and child's family have a clear and shared understanding of the overall goal of the case plan:
- child to remain safely in the home: the child's protection needs can be met by the family without ongoing Child Safety Services' involvement
- reunification: where a child has been removed from the care of a parent, the goal of the initial case plan must be to reunify the child with the parents on a long-term basis, unless it is not in the child's best interests, not possible or not safe to do so
- long-term out-of-home care: if reunification with a parent is not possible or not in a child's best interests, an alternative long-term care arrangement is required, with a member of the child's family group, foster carer or a shared care arrangement for the child involving particular members of the child's family group or cultural community
- young person lives independently: if reunification with a parent is not possible, or in the child's best interests, an older child may transition to independent living
- other permanency option: the adoption of an infant or young child.
Complete the 'rationale for the goal' field, in a way that is particular to the child and family.
3. Outcomes
Case planning must also include provisions that address the child's developmental needs and assist them to gain the skills and sense of well-being that will allow them to realise their potential and positively participate in the wider community.
Ensure the case plan outcomes:
- address the key needs of the child and the three identified priority needs for the parents
- state the changes in conditions and behaviours that need to occur in order to achieve the case plan goal
- respond to the reasons for Child Safety Services' involvement and are forward looking, positive and behaviour-based
- are specific and results-oriented so that all participants are clear about what is expected
- clearly record what is to be achieved and how progress will be measured, in the 'how will we know it is different?' section of the case plan - this information will inform the review process.
4. Actions
The actions are the key activities required to achieve the changes in conditions or behaviour outlined in the case plan outcomes. When developing the case plan actions, consider the following guidelines:
- any person attending the family group meeting can be responsible for an action, including the parents, Child Safety Services' staff, the child, the family as a whole or any other significant person
- do not give responsibility for key actions to a person who is not at the meeting, unless tentatively agreed to before the meeting
- if a person who is not at the meeting, is proposed to be responsible for an action that was not explored during the preparation for the meeting, the action will be recorded as a proposal only, that will be followed up by a particular date and subject to the agreement of the particular person
- actions must be flexible enough to accommodate changes in people's circumstances and where necessary, include strategies to address any potential problems
- detailed family contact arrangements and schedules should be recorded in the 'Family and Community' section of the case plan, not in the actions section.
Where the substance testing of parents is considered a necessary and important part of the case plan for the child, based on the extent and nature of the parents substance misuse history and the level and nature of harm, or unacceptable risk, to the child, refer to Chapter 10.14 Undertake the substance testing of parents.
Record the case plan actions which have been agreed upon, in specific terms in relation to:
- what must be done
- who is responsible
- a timeframe for achievement.
5. Child information
Provide the following details of the placement and living arrangements for the child, unless it poses a safety risk to the child:
- where and with whom the child is living, provided disclosure is consistent with the Child Protection Act 1999, section 80 and 86
- where the child will attend school and arrangements to progress an education support plan for the child
- whether the child requires a child health passport, and how the child's medical and therapeutic needs are to be met (when not included as actions in the above part of the plan)
- the plan for the child to participate in recreational, sporting and cultural events that meet their developmental needs.
There may be some overlap in this section with the information included in the placement agreement for a child in out-of-home care, however, the placement agreement will also deal with additional matters - refer to Chapter 5, 1.9 Complete a placement agreement.
6. Contact arrangements
Family contact arrangements must reflect the case plan goal, for example, where the goal is not reunification, the level of contact is often less than for cases where the goal is reunification. Arrangements must also be consistent with any order made by the Childrens Court under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 61(b), 67(1)(b) or 68(c), limiting the child's contact with the child's family or directing how the contact should happen.
Use this section to:
- outline how the child will maintain his or her connections with parents, siblings, extended family and community members and people of cultural or ethnic significance
- record the agreed family contact schedule and all specific information about frequency, duration, where it will occur, who will attend and level of supervision in the 'Family and Community' section of the case plan - do not document contact arrangements and schedules in the case plan actions
- record directions made by the Childrens Court on granting an interim order about contact.
For further information about appropriate family contact arrangements, refer to Chapter 5, 2.5 Facilitate and monitor family contact.
7. Cultural support plan
The cultural support plan is a key part of the case planning process for every Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child. It aims to keep children connected to their culture, families and communities, regardless of the placement they are living in. It is an essential tool that:
- can help nurture and support children to strengthen their cultural identity and connection to what it means to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- can assist with their understanding of their community networks and cultural heritage
- assists the child to increase their knowledge and understanding of their place in their family, kinship and community structure.
Even children who are too young to contribute to the plan or those children who do not want to identify with their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community at this time need to have information about their culture available to them. This could be planned with extended family members, who can develop the child's knowledge of, or facilitate their inclusion in, important rituals and ceremonies, as appropriate.
This is particularly important when the child is placed with a non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person or with another Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander not from their clan/tribe or language group (Child Protection Act 1999, section 83).
The cultural support plan is recorded within the case plan document and includes:
- relevant cultural information about the child, their family, their community or island group and their personal history, that will assist to maintain the cultural connection for the child
- actions and arrangements that maintain and support the child's cultural identity consistent with the statement of standards, charter of rights and principles of the Child Protection Act 1999
- contact arrangements between the child and appropriate members of the child's community or language group.
Develop the cultural support plan
To develop the cultural support plan:
- refer to the Practice guide: To developing a Cultural Support Plan
- discuss strategies for maintaining and supporting the child's cultural identity and relationships with the child's family at the family group meeting
- include the name of the clan/language group/ethnic or cultural group/Island or community group the child belongs to
- determine arrangements for activities, maintenance and support of the child's cultural identity, including an opportunity for the child to regularly participate in positive lived experiences in both modern and traditional Aboriginal or Torres Strait islander culture
- determine the support required by the carers to maintain and support these arrangements and activities
- record the names and contact details of family members or significant persons, and activities and arrangements for maintaining and supporting the child's cultural identity.
When a child is subject to an intervention with parental agreement case, or a protective or directive order, it may not be necessary to complete a detailed cultural support plan as the family will generally be able to continue to meet the cultural needs of the child as they did prior to Child Safety Services' involvement. Some families may also find it intrusive to complete a cultural support plan whilst the child is still in their care. In these cases, at the team leader's discretion, record minimal information in the plan to the effect that the family will continue to meet the cultural needs of the child.
When a child is subject to a child protection care agreement, the team leader may again choose not to create a detailed cultural support plan after they have considered factors including:
- the length of time the child will remain in care
- whether they are placed with a kinship carer or culturally appropriate carer
- how much contact they are having with extended family
- whether there is a specific identified cultural need.
If the family request assistance with their cultural identity and connectedness, then an appropriate plan will need to be developed regardless of the type of intervention.
Cultural support for children of other cultures
The cultural support needs of a child from another cultural community are to be recorded in the case plan, but are not able to be recorded in the cultural support plan section in ICMS. For further information refer to the practice paper Working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
8. Plan for alternative long-term arrangements if reunification is not achieved
Planning for long-term care arrangements for a child commences when the first custody or short-term guardianship order is granted. This means that a goal of 'reunification' is pursued at the same time as a plan for a 'long term out-of-home placement' or 'other permanency option' is established. This allows for the possibility that reunification may not occur within a timeframe appropriate to the child's age and circumstances, and that the child's protection and care needs may not be able to be met by the parents. Include a plan to progress alternative long-term arrangements in the case plan following each review.
For further information, refer to 5.4 Undertake parallel planning/permanency planning.
9. Review date
As a minimum the case plan must be reviewed every six months, however, it may be appropriate to review the case more frequently, taking into account:
- the child's age, circumstances and developmental needs
- any change that has a significant impact on the direction of the case plan, or where there are significant changes to the child's needs or safety
- the nature of the specific provisions, outcomes and actions of the case plan
- any anticipated problems with the plan
- the duration of the order (so that the shorter the order, the more frequent the case plan review) if a child protection order is in place.
Establish and record the decision about the agreed review date.
10. Financial resources
Record any decisions made that will require approval by the financial delegate. Where approval has not been sought prior to the family group meeting, advise the participants that CSSC manager approval is required following the family group meeting and prior to the case plan being endorsed.
For more information on developing the key items in the case plan, refer to the Family group meeting convenor handbook.
3.3 Record, endorse and distribute the case plan
All case plans must be recorded in the approved form in ICMS. The person responsible for recording the case plan is:
- the CSO with case responsibility or the convenor, if the convenor is a Child Safety Services' officer
- the CSO with case responsibility, if the convenor is a private convenor
- the CSO with case responsibility, if the case plan is developed without a family group meeting being held.
A case plan must be endorsed within seven days of the family group meeting being held (Child Protection Act 1999, section 51Q), by a team leader or senior practitioner. To endorse a case plan the team leader or senior practitioner must be satisfied:
- that it is consistent with the child's best interests and that it is practicable
- that it sufficiently provides for the child's safety or for any directions or orders made by the Childrens Court
- that it addresses the critical areas of need
- that any significant resourcing impacts have been approved by the financial delegate.
In circumstances where a case plan has not been endorsed within the required seven days, for reasons other than because the case plan is not suitable, it is not necessary to reconvene a family group meeting when a short period of time only has elapsed. In this circumstance, the team leader is responsible for endorsing the existing case plan in ICMS as soon as possible and recording a rationale for the delay.
Distribute the case plan
Once endorsed, provide a copy of the case plan to:
- the child (where age and developmentally appropriate), or, explain the case plan to the child in a way that is appropriate to the child's age and ability to understand
- the child's parents
- anyone else affected by the plan, responsible for action in the plan or who the chief executive considers should receive a copy
- any legal representative for the child or for the child's parents
- the child's foster or kinship carer, or the licensed care service who will be involved in implementing the case plan for the child
- the recognised entity, an elder and other respected person of the child's community who will play a role in supporting the implementation of the plan.
In most cases, everyone who attends the family group meeting should be given a copy of the case plan, except if an attendee will not be involved in the implementation of the case plan.
Provide a case plan to the Childrens Court
The Childrens Court cannot grant a final child protection order unless it is satisfied that there is an endorsed case plan that responds to the child's assessed needs (Child Protection Act 1999, section 59). Once the case plan and supporting material have been filed in court, file any subsequent review reports and revised case plans with the court, until such time as the court makes a final determination about the application for an order (Child Protection Act 1999, section 51X). For more information refer to 5. What if an application for a child protection order is filed with the Childrens Court without a case plan?- Last updated
- 18 September 2009
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