9. Matters of concern
Purpose
Child Safety Services has a legislative responsibility to ensure that children in out-of-home care receive a level of care that is consistent with the standards of care outlined in the statement of standards (Child Protection Act 1999, section 122).
When it is indicated that the standards of care have not been met for a child, Child Safety Services will respond through the matters of concern process to ensure the safety and well-being of the child.
The process of assessing and responding to matters of concern will be conducted in a manner consistent with Child Safety Services' procedures and the principles, rights and responsibilities outlined in the Statement of Commitment between the Department of Child Safety, foster care services and the carers of Queensland.
Key steps
- Decide whether information constitutes a matter of concern
- Assess a child placement concern report
- Investigate and assess a matter of concern notification
- Develop and monitor an action plan
What ifs - responding to specific matters of concern matters
Standards
- All matters of concern are finalised within six weeks.
- An action plan is developed whenever a breach of standards has occurred.
Practice skills (key areas for reflection)
- Have I gathered and considered all available contextual information prior to the decision about whether the concerns constitute a matter of concern?
- Have I undertaken an holistic assessment of the matter of concern, including consideration of Child Safety Services' history and where possible, verified information obtained from other sources?
- Have I actively engaged with the subject child and approved carer or staff member in a way that enables their meaningful participation in the process?
- Have I responded to the child’s safety and support needs within the placement and identified the approved carer’s or staff member’s supervision, support and training needs?
Authority
- Child Protection Act 1999, section 5, 6, 7, 9, 14, 74, 82(1), 122, 130, 187 and 188
- Child Protection Regulation 2000, section 9 and 12
- Policy No. 395-2: Administrative access to child safety records
- Policy No. 295-5: Complaints management
- Policy No. 391-3: Critical Incident Reporting
- Policy No. 604-1: Positive behaviour support
- Last updated
- 29 June 2009
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