Child Protection

1
Community Based Child and Family Services

• Child Protection Family Services
• Office for Children, Victoria

2
Children, Youth Families Act 2005

• The new legislation
• Formally positions Family Services as part of a
  continuum of child and family services
• Establishes a set of principles and regulatory
  requirements to underpin the future delivery of
  Family Services
• Seeks to embed new approaches that have emerged
  in the FSIPs
• Enables information flows to support earlier
  intervention

3
Practice approach and service model will reflect
legislative responsibilities

• Responsibilities of registered community services
  (section 61)
• A registered community service must
• (a) provide its services in relation to a child
  in a manner that is in the best interests of the
  child and
• (b) ensure that the services provided by the
  service are accessible to and made widely known
  to the public, recognising that prioritisation of
  services will occur based on need and
• (c ) participate collaboratively with local
  service networks to promote the best interests of
  children

4
Getting ready for new legislation
Review of the Strategic Framework for Family
Services
5
Review of Strategic Framework for Family Services

• Contemporary overarching framework required,
  three components
• Service model and practice approach
• Minimum standards for Family Services
• Standards will form the basis of new service
  registration requirements and will align with out
  of home care standards
• Adjusted pricing and service levels to
  incorporate CBI

6
Timelines and governance for review

• Tender advertised Feb 06
• KPMG has been appointed
• Timelines for review 1 April to 31 July 2006
• Reference / working groups to be established
• Representation facilitated with peak bodies

7
Purposes of community-based child and family
services section 22

• (a) To provide a point of entry into an
  integrated local service network, that is readily
  accessible by families, that allows for early
  intervention in support of families and that
  provides child and family services

8
Purposes of community-based child and family
services section 22

• (b) to receive reports about vulnerable children
  and families where there are significant concerns
  about their wellbeing
• (c ) to undertake assessments of needs and risks
  in relation to children and families to assist in
  the provision of services to them and in
  determining if a child is in need of protection

9
Prioritising Need

• Despite high levels of disadvantage the good
  news (Shonkhoff) is that well-targeted child and
  family based interventions can turn around poor
  life trajectories for vulnerable children and
  young people.
• The challenge is getting the best support
  available to disadvantaged, vulnerable children
  and families, as early as possible.

10
Implementing the Community Based Intake

• Consulting on the change 2003-2005
• Shaping the change Jan to April 06
• Defining the change - April to July 06
• Preparing for/operationalising the change
  August to Sept 06
• Implementing the change - From October 2006
• Staged implementation of the community based
  intake is planned, beginning October 2006. Stage
  1 (six sites) will be subject to a detailed
  evaluation that aims to inform the subsequent
  roll-out

11
Where are we now?

• What does this mean for my clients, my
  organisation, my networks?
• Scale and pace of change
• The search for certainty and absolutes vis a vis
  a commitment to acknowledging diversity,
  innovation and place

12

• A tendency to overestimate what can be achieved
  in the short-term, and underestimate what can be
  achieved in the longer-term
• (Demos 2005)