The core purpose of
Child FIRST is to provide a clearly visible and accessible entry
into Family Services in the North Central sub-region to provide
effective service responses for vulnerable children, including the
following components, i.e. to:
-
Provide a point of entry into an
integrated local service network that is readily accessible by
families;
-
Provide a service system that
allows for earlier intervention in support of families
and that
-
Provide Child and Family Services
through the provision of information, advice and
referral;
-
Receive referrals about
vulnerable children (or an unborn child) and
families where there are significant concerns about their
well-being;
-
Undertake the Intake
Screening i.e. assessment of initial need/risk issues and
prioritisation for service delivery in consultation with Child
Protection and other services, if necessary
-
Undertake assessments of
needs and risks in relation to children and families to assist
in the provision of services and to aid in assessing if a
child is in need of protection;
-
Determine the priority of
response (on the basis of needs identified through assessment),
and allocation of families to Family Services, in consultation with
Integrated Family Services and Child Protection (where
required);
-
Provide culturally competent
services and practice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders including identification of the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander status of children, young people and
families;
-
Provide a short service for
families whose needs can be met by a shorter term or
transitional support response;
-
Undertake timely-responses through
providing, or overseeing, ‘active holding
strategies’ involving active short term work with
children and families, prior to allocation to Integrated Family
Services – on an agreed basis. Holding work may include phone
contact, an initial home visit or attending a case conference or
engagement in a group program;
-
To actively support referral to
other relevant agencies if this is necessary to assist
vulnerable children and families;
-
Provide a single telephone
number - for contacts in relation to vulnerable and at risk
children, young people and their families – supported by a
central intake and assessment team staffed by qualified and
experienced social work and welfare practitioners.
Under the auspices
of the North Central Victorian Family Services Alliance, Child
FIRST will have a key role in:
-
Contributing to and applying
consistent standards of intake and assessment across all Family
Services in the catchment.
-
Developing a local catchment agreement
in the context of the state-wide framework with DHS Child
Protection Services covering decision-making, day to day interface,
and specifically the relationship with Community Based Child
Protection Worker/s.
-
Developing clear linkages and
processes with the other referral pathways/services with DHS-funded
Family Services - and other services that have a role in work in
with vulnerable children and families.
-
Building on and enhancing the
coordinated/ centralised intake and service delivery capacity
established through pre-existing family support innovations
programs (FSIP’s) - and related multi-agency referral/ intake
arrangements.
-
Incorporating all catchment DHS-funded
Family Services Providers within an agreed and integrated planning,
program and service delivery framework under direction of the
Alliance.
-
Clearly identified strategies to
flexibly manage service demand and capacity across service sub
catchments and LGA boundaries.
-
Implementing processes, in conjunction
with Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC) and Njernda
Aboriginal Corporation, to ensure active participation of
Aboriginal Family Services in planning and operational service
delivery decisions relating to Child FIRST, and in particular
referral pathways to and from Aboriginal Family
Services.
-
Meeting DHS data management/ reporting
requirements to support state- wide planning and to inform emerging
knowledge about outcomes for children and families.
-
Promoting an understanding of the role
of Child FIRST and community based intake through community
information and education campaigns targeting key referrer groups
and the general community (in collaboration with DHS Loddon Mallee
Region).
