NSW Dept. Communities and Justice

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) is a framework designed to promote policy and practice that will reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system. The aim is to keep children connected to their families, communities, cultures and country, and to ensure the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in decisions about their children's care and protection.

The ATSICPP recognises the importance of connections to family, community, culture and country in child and family welfare legislation, policy and practice, and asserts that self-determining communities are central to supporting and maintaining those connections. The ATSICPP aims to:

• ensure an understanding that culture underpins and is integral to safety and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and is embedded in policy and practice
• recognise and protect the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, family members and communities in child welfare matters
• increase the level of self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in child welfare matters; and
• reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection and out-of-home care systems.

The ATSICPP centres on five elements: prevention, partnership, participation, placement and connection.

An Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation (ACCO) delivers services, including land and resource management, that builds the strength and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and people and is:

1. incorporated under relevant legislation and not-for-profit
2. controlled and operated by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
3. connected to the community, or communities, in which they deliver the services
4. governed by a majority Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander governing body.

An Alternative Care Arrangement (ACA) is an emergency and temporary arrangement for a child in, or entering, statutory or supported out-of-home care (OOHC) after every effort has been made to place them with an accredited OOHC provider and are either:

• cared for in a hotel, motel or other temporary accommodation that can be terminated at short notice and/or
• directly cared for and supervised solely by sub-contracted staff from an ACA service provider who are authorised under clause 31B of the Care Regulation.

Placements in a Hotel/motel, caravan or holiday park are considered to be ACAs regardless of whether the direct care is provided by employees of a residential care accredited agency or by staff contracted from non-accredited ACA service providers.
Staff or contractors must be authorised in accordance with the OCG Guidelines for the emergency authorisation of staff or contractors from external agencies as per clause 31B of the Regulations¹ . The requirement for authorisation applies to all staff, whether they are direct employees of the accredited agency or not.

Office of the Children’s Guardian notification requirements
Requires OCG notification within:

• 24 hrs of placement
• 7 days of entry to an ACA
• 7 days of ACA ending

A case plan is an individualised, dynamic written plan or a support agreement that includes information on the circumstances explaining why the child is considered to be in need of protection, the goal of ongoing intervention and outcomes and actions required to achieve the goals. A case plan is usually developed between the person and agency as a result of an assessment process and usually includes:

• Goals and objectives;
• Planned measures/actions;
• Needs assessment (including: health, education, therapeutic social/cultural support);
• Family/relatives/kin contact arrangements; and
• Living/accommodation arrangements.

Case plans may also be referred to as case management plans or care plans. Provisional care plans are not included in the Child Protection National Minimum Data Set.

ChildStory is a collaboration tool that places the child at the centre of their story and builds a network of family, carers, caseworkers and service providers around them. Users will have access to information on a child, so they can better support them. ChildStory is the department’s information technology system for child protection and wellbeing. It encourages collaboration between a child’s network of family, carers, caseworkers and service providers to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

ChildStory Communities

There are five ChildStory communities for different people using the system:

• ChildStory Casework is used by Department of Communities and Justice practitioners, and key child protection practitioners in Police, Health and Education
• ChildStory Partner is used by non-government organisations and other government agencies
• ChildStory Reporter is used by mandatory reporters
• ChildStory YOU will be used by children and young people in care
• ChildStory Caring will be used by families and carers

Corporate Information Warehouse (CIW) enables efficient online access to a large number of pre-defined reports. It provides an integrated view of data collected from ChildStory.

CIW is used by DCJ divisions, clusters and districts to facilitate operational management and corporate and performance reporting by enabling users to:

• View and analyse current daily/monthly data
• Monitor and track overdue and upcoming tasks, assisting individual casework planning
• Make informed decisions about service priorities and funding
• Evaluate processes and programs

Data is loaded and refreshed in CIW on a nightly basis. CIW also incorporates access to snapshot environments that are frozen at the end of each financial year.

A cultural support plan is an individualised, dynamic written plan or a support agreement that aims to develop or maintain children or young people’s cultural identity through connection to family, community and culture. Cultural support plans help to ensure that planning and decision–making are culturally appropriate and in the best interests of the child.

A cultural support plan is usually developed between the person and the agency in consultation with members of the cultural community (or relevant officer) and usually includes:

• Relevant cultural information, including about the child, his or her family, the nation and/or country, community, language, clan, ethnic/island or cultural group and personal history;
• Activities that maintain and support the child’s cultural identity and connection with communities and culture;
• Supports required to ensure that the child maintains his or her connections and is able to participate in activities documented in the cultural support plan.
• Cultural support plans may also be referred to as cultural care plans, cultural case plans or cultural plans. Cultural support plans that are part of provisional care plans are not included in the Child Protection National Minimum Data Set.

Data ageing refers to the requirement of a time lag in extracting data for reporting to accommodate the time between when a service activity occurs and when it is
entered into a client system. The time lag is determined by the minimum amount of time for data to be sufficiently complete in the source system to be accurately reported.

For example, caseworkers who see families in the community are not able to enter data in real time, so a period of time is allowed for that data to be entered. Data is typically aged for two months before extraction. As such there is a minimum of two and a half month lag between the end of a reporting period and the availability of finalised data. For example data for the reporting quarter ending 30 June will not be available until the 31st August (likely available 1st September) at the earliest.

Data ageing provides an opportunity for information recorded in the source system (such as ChildStory) after the fact, to be included in reporting and ultimately provide a more accurate depiction of the situation.

Unaged data is useful for tracking compliance with recording and identifying tasks that are outstanding.  Unaged data is only suitable for operational reporting and use by district staff for the purpose of managing outstanding casework tasks.

An Individual Placement Arrangement (IPA) is a temporary fee-for-service emergency accommodation arrangements based on the individual needs of the child or young person. It is only used after every effort has been made to place the child or young person in a contracted out-of-home care (OOHC) arrangement. 

An IPA is an emergency bespoke arrangement where:

• the accommodation is stable and ‘home-like’ (i.e. not in a hotel/motel, caravan park, etc) and
• direct care of the child or young person is predominately provided by staff from a residential care accredited agency.¹

An arrangement is not considered IPA if:

• The child is in temporary accommodation for respite for less than 21 days and has a primary placement to return to
• The child is in temporary accommodation for less than 21 days while a reportable allegation is investigated
• The child is in temporary accommodation, away from their ITC placement, for 14 days or less.

Short term group-home placement (up to 3 months) for children and young people aged 9-14 years with low and medium needs that are in or at risk of imminent entry into an Alternative Care Arrangement or Individual Placement Arrangement. 

ICM should be considered when every effort has been made to place them with relatives/kin, a foster carer, or contracted out of home care placement. 

ICM arrangements include: 

• Group, 4 bed model shared with other children/young people
• Home-like accommodation (e.g. house, unit, serviced apartment)
• House manager and direct care staff provided by staff from a residential care accredited agency
• Up to 3 months duration (extension possible if required)

A leaving care plan (also called a transition from care plan) is developed in preparation for the young person exiting care into independent living. Leaving care plans are developed in agreement with the child/young person and usually include:

• Goals/objectives;
• Needs assessment including: accommodation, education/training, employment, health and living skills;
• Planned measures/actions;
• Family contact arrangements/relationship connections;
• Income support; and
• Post-care support (counselling, mentoring, ongoing case management).

In some jurisdictions the leaving care plan is a component of the case plan – in these circumstances the leaving care component is counted.

The Legal Assistance for Families Partnership Agreement (LAFPA) is an agreement that has been executed by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) and Legal Aid NSW.

LAFPA sets out a different way for the three agencies to work with families who have come into contact with child protection.

All three agencies are committed to working collaboratively towards achieving a reduction in the amount of children and young people entering out of home care.

The National Agreement for Closing the Gap (Closing the Gap) is an agreement between Australian governments, along with a Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations, aimed at overcoming 'the entrenched inequality faced by too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that their life outcomes are equal to those of all Australians’.

Closing the Gap has its four Priority Reforms:

1. Formal partnerships and shared decision-making.
2. Building the community-controlled sector.
3. Transforming government organisations.
4. Shared access to data and information at a regional level.

Of particular relevance are indicators related to Target 9a and Target 12.

Target 9a: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88 per cent.

Target 12: Reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45% by 2031.

A package refers to a structured funding model designed to support children and young people in the Permanency Support Program (PSP). These packages are tailored to meet the individual needs of each child and are categorized into different types, such as baseline packages, case plan goal packages, and child needs packages. Each package covers the costs of services, case management, and supports required to address the specific circumstances of the child. For example, a baseline package might provide general support, while a child needs package could address more specialised requirements like therapeutic care.

The PSP package model is flexible, allowing for adjustments based on the evolving needs of the child. This ensures that children receive the right level of care and support, whether it's short-term assistance or long-term solutions like guardianship or adoption. The goal is to create a stable and nurturing environment that prioritizes the child's well-being and permanency outcomes. By offering a range of packages, the program aims to provide comprehensive and adaptable support for children and their families.

The Permanency Support Program (PSP) is designed to provide stable and long-term care solutions for children and young people who cannot live safely with their families. The program focuses on achieving permanency, which means finding a safe, loving, and permanent home for children as quickly as possible. This could involve reuniting them with their families, placing them with guardians, or facilitating adoption. The PSP works closely with government and non-government agencies to ensure that children receive the care and support they need while prioritizing their well-being and future stability.

The program also emphasizes tailored support to meet the unique needs of each child and their family. This includes offering services like case management, therapeutic care, and assistance with education and health. By focusing on permanency and individualized care, the PSP aims to create a nurturing environment where children can thrive and build meaningful connections. The ultimate goal is to provide children with a sense of security and belonging, helping them to grow into confident and resilient individuals.

The SDMAC Panels reflect the Aboriginal Case Management Policy and its focus on Aboriginal people, families and communities leading decision-making. Panels are
consistent with the new legislative requirement for practitioners to make ‘active efforts’ to prevent children from entering out of home care, community involvement and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young Persons Principle. The participation element recognises that Aboriginal community representatives should participate in individual decisions about children and young persons.

SDMAC Panels operate in all districts and aim to improve how DCJ makes decisions about the safety, removal and placement of all Aboriginal children in each Community Services Centre (CSC).

Each SDMAC Panel includes Aboriginal practitioners to ensure consideration of culture remains front and centre of all decisions and representatives from Child Law to provide ongoing legal advice and guidance. Aboriginal staff who sit on SDMAC Panels receive ongoing support around their cultural safety. Decisions are informed by diverse perspectives and independent consultation with senior practice leaders before a Director Community Services makes a decision to remove a child from their family.
Resources, including information sessions and workshops, have been provided to each district and the ACiP Unit provides ongoing support.
Integrity and validation measures are planned to track the outcomes of decisions made by SDMAC Panels to help refine and improve the model over time. Changes to ChildStory and the establishment of a dataset are being developed to support this.

A Short-Term Emergency Placement (STEP) is 1:1 emergency accommodation and support model for children and young people aged 12 - 17 years of age with high and complex needs that are in, or at risk of, imminent entry into an Alternative Care Arrangement or Individual Placement Arrangement.

 It is only used after every effort has been made to place the child or young person in a contracted out-of-home care (OOHC) arrangement. 

STEP arrangements include: 

• 1:1 (child to care worker) placement
• Home-like accommodation (e.g. house, unit, serviced apartment)
• Direct care is predominately provided by staff from a residential care accredited agency
• Up to 12 weeks duration (extension possible in exceptional circumstances).