1. Gather information about the child and family
1.1 Gather information from the notifier
The quality of the decisions made during the intake phase depends on the quality of information gathered about the child or unborn child, their family and the child protection concerns. A child and their family should receive a consistent response from Child Safety Services, regardless of their location or the CSSC providing the response.
We need to gather information from the notifier at intake to assess whether a child has been harmed, is being harmed or is at risk of being harmed, and whether they have a parent able and willing to protect them. When the information relates to an unborn child, the intake decision is whether the unborn child will be at risk of harm after he or she is born.
Any person may contact Child Safety Services as a notifier and information can be received in person or via telephone, email, letter or fax. All notifiers are subject to the confidentiality provisions of the Child Protection Act 1999, section 186.
To assist with the recording of information at the time of talking to a notifier, use either the Intake template - electronic or the Intake template - handwritten. Note: These forms are for the initial recording of information only, and must not be used as an alternative to recording child protection concerns in ICMS. All information must be subsequently recorded in ICMS.
The CSSC that receives the child protection concerns is responsible for taking and recording the information, and deciding and approving Child Safety Services' response. A notifier should not be referred to another CSSC. When talking to the notifier, refer to the Intake prompt sheet and the practice resource Information gathering guide and:
- ascertain whether they are a mandatory notifier (refer to the practice resource Notifiers and mandatory notifiers)
- record details of the notifier and how they may be contacted, where the notifier is willing to provide this information
- obtain accurate identifying information about the subject child, family and household members and other relevant persons, including given names, surnames, aliases, nicknames, ages and dates of birth, gender, cultural identity, Indigenous status, addresses and relationships
- ask questions of the notifier to determine if any other child or unborn child in the home, not identified as a subject child, may also have been harmed or be at risk of harm and should be recorded as a subject child
- use your knowledge of the information gathering guide and the screening criteria and response priority definitions to guide the discussion with the notifier
- obtain details of the concerns and the contextual situation for the child, including risk and protective factors relating to the child, the parent, the harm and the environment
- clearly identify risk factors commonly contributing to harm to very young children, who have greater levels of vulnerability.
For further information, refer to the resource Physical and Cognitive Developmental Milestones and the practice resources Communicating with the notifier, Intake - key concepts and definitions and The role of the CSO at intake.
When the notifier is from a government or non-government agency:
- ask the notifier if they require feedback about the response by Child Safety Services (refer to 4.4 Provide feedback to government and non-government agencies notifiers)
- determine the notifier's role as a service provider to the child and family, the extent and nature of any current or previous intervention with the family and whether there are particular considerations that need to be taken into account if Child Safety Services intervenes
- ascertain whether the notifier has informed the child or family that a report has been, or is to be, made to Child Safety Services.
Matters of concern
When the information received refers to a matter of concern for a child in out-of home care, refer to Chapter 9. Matters of concern and consult with your team leader.
General enquiries
Information or enquiries received from a notifier are recorded in ICMS as a general enquiry when:
- the caller is requesting information in relation to child protection matters, but is not reporting concerns for a specific child or unborn child
- the information does not constitute child protection concerns
- the information is about alleged harm or risk of harm to a child that will not be actioned by Child Safety Services because:
- it relates to extra familial abuse where the parents are willing and able to protect the child and will be forwarded to the QPS for a response (refer to 4.3 Inform the police when a child is harmed by a person living outside the home)
- it relates to the death of a child where there are no siblings
- it relates to a child in another jurisdiction and will be forwarded to the other jurisdiction for the appropriate response (refer to 1. What if the child protection concerns are about a child in another jurisdiction?).
1.2 Conduct a child protection history check
Previous child protection history provides important contextual information, highlights patterns of cumulative harm and risk and protective factors present in the family that may not be known or identified by the person contacting Child Safety Services.
A child protection history check is the consideration of all records of previous contact by Child Safety Services with the child, family or other members of the child's household as part of the decision-making process.
The check is to occur prior to deciding the appropriate response to intake information.
To complete a child protection history check:
- review all electronic records (ICMS, local record keeping systems), local CSSC paper files, SCAN AM Team records and RecFind (refer to the RecFind user guide)
- create the departmental history report in ICMS
- consider the extent, nature and outcome of previous intervention by Child Safety Services with the child or family, and whether the history:
- indicates a pattern of harm, escalating concerns or cumulative harm, or
- confirms or highlights additional risk factors, including any previous child deaths or serious injuries.
1.3 Conduct a pre-notification check if required
A pre-notification check is an enquiry made when child protection concerns are received from a notifier and further information is needed to assist completion of the screening criteria and determine if a notification response is required. Pre-notification checks are not required for all notifications and are not used for matters of concern.
Information for a pre-notification check can only be sought from the following specific external sources:
- another professional
- an external agency
- an interstate or international child protection jurisdiction.
A pre-notification check must be completed within 24 hours of receiving the child protection concerns. If there has been no response to Child Safety Services' enquiry within 24 hours, a decision must be made about the appropriate response based on the information already gathered.
Where information is received after the 24 hours has elapsed, this information must be assessed, and where required, the information may need to be 're-screened' using the screening criteria and response priority assessments.
When completing a pre-notification check:
- contact the relevant professional or agency
- provide your name and delegation, the purpose of the contact and the legislative basis for seeking information (Child Protection Act 1999, section 14, 21A and 159A and B)
- request information about:
- any contact their agency has had, or currently has, with the child or family
- the nature and duration of contact with the child or family
- any child protection concerns they may currently have, or have previously had
- use the information received to assist decision-making about Child Safety Services' response
- record the information in the 'pre-notification check' form in ICMS.
- Last updated
- 18 September 2009
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