Aboriginal The term Aboriginal as has been
used in this document refers to Aboriginal people and
communities.
Action Strategies and interventions put in
place by Community Service Organizations to support the best
interests of children and young people.
Assessment Identification of the strengths
of the family in caring for the child or young person,
encompassing: immediate family skills and resources; external
formal and informal supports; demonstrated parenting knowledge and
skills; relevant background and experiences of family members.
Identification of additional supports and resources that may be
available to the family to assist them in caring for the child or
young person.
Identification of the limitations or stressors
adversely affecting the family's ability to care for the child or
children, and support the social, emotional, cognitive and physical
development of the child or children.
Best interests Best Interests framework as
outlined in Section 10 of the Children, Youth and Families Act
2005.
Casework framework Services are delivered
within a framework comprising the core functions of screening,
assessment, planning, action, review and closure. The role of the
caseworker is to ensure that each of these functions occurs in the
delivery of the family service, and that the family is supported in
assuming a key decision making role at all times. Where there is
multi-service or multi-agency involvement, the family may indicate
a desire or need for assistance in negotiating and coordinating
their involvement with these services. In such situations, the case
manager's role will extend beyond the family service, and the case
manager may assume an advocacy, negotiation, coordination and
monitoring role on behalf of the family. This will
involve:
-
the
worker developing a mutually acceptable child and family action
plan with the family agreeing on the services to be provided, when
and by whom
-
providing a
single contact for the family to obtain information about available
services and discuss satisfaction with the services being provided,
and any changes they would like to make in relation to the current
child and family action plan
-
ensuring that,
across the service system, the functions of screening, assessment,
planning, implementation, review and closure occur, and that
duplication of these functions is minimized.
-
Ensuring
that the family is aware of and has given prior consent to any
information being shared between services, except where this is
permitted by legislation
-
facilitating
continuity of care.
Caseworker/manager The person allocated the
primary responsibility of overseeing implementation of the child
and family action plan.
Catchment planning Activity undertaken by
the Child and Family Services Alliance. The purpose of catchment
planning will be to enhance service system capacity to promote
children's, young people's and families' wellbeing and improve
outcomes for children, young people and
families.
Child and family action
plan
The document that results from assessment and
planning with the family. The child and family action plan will
address:
-
resources and services needed and who will
provide them;
-
tasks to
be undertaken and the person/s responsible;
-
timelines for tasks to be
undertaken;
-
timelines for
review;
-
case
coordination across services (if required).
The length and complexity of the child and family
action plan will vary according to the family's needs and the type
of service being provided.
Child and family
services
The range of services provided to protect children
and young people from the risk of abuse or neglect, including
services delivered by the Department, CSOs and other agencies and
professionals.
Child and Family Services
Alliances
These will be established in each catchment and
will include Child FIRST, Family Services, Child Protection,
Department of Human Services partnerships staff and representatives
from other sectors/professional groups, as agreed by the core
members. Representation will include an Aboriginal service
representative where there is capacity and need for this to occur.
Alliances will provide operational management, service delivery
coordination and catchment planning.
Child FIRST Child and family information
referral and support teams.
Child focused,
family-centered
A child-focused, family-centred approach brings
together the specialist resources provided by a professional and
the knowledge, skills, concerns, decisions and plans of the family.
Family-centred services are those where the family is central to
all decision making, including choices about the resources and
services they need. Control over the goals and content of
intervention always remains with the family. In addition, the
extended family and community networks provide potential resources
and support, which will be taken into account in service planning
and delivery.
Children and young
people
A child or young person aged 17 years or younger
who is receiving support from Family Services.
Children, Youth And Families Act
2005
Victorian legislation that governs the child and
family services sector.
Child Protection
To report or consult with a child protection
intake worker on serious child well being concerns such as physical
and sexual abuse. Contact this service if the family is unwilling
and or unable to address the issues for their
children.
Community service organization
(CSO)
A non-government organization funded to deliver a
designated service to the community.
Community-based child and family
service
A body registered under Section 46 of the
Children, Youth and Families Act 2005. The Secretary of the
Department of Human Services may register a body as a community
service if they are satisfied that the body: is established to
provide services to meet the needs of children requiring care,
support, protection or accommodation and of families requiring
support; and will be able to meet the performance standards
applicable to community services of that kind.
Community Based Child Protection
Worker
Community-based Child Protection workers are
assigned to each Child FIRST site to undertake a range of key
functions, including:
• facilitation of referrals from Child
Protection to Child FIRST
• provision of consultation and advice on
specific cases to Child FIRST and Family
Services in the sub-regional catchment, including
safety planning to enable ongoing case
management
-
provision of
advice to the Child FIRST catchment Child Protection staff
regarding making referrals to Child FIRST.
-
participation in
local professional and community education initiatives
identification of cases within Child Protection requiring enhanced
referral.
CRIS Client Relationship Information
System-the electronic records and data system for Child
Protection.
CRISSP Client Relationship Information
System for Service Providers.
Cultural competence Cultural competence
goes beyond awareness and understanding and implies that this will
translate into effective practice. Developing culturally competent
services will be a key activity of each family
service.
Cumulative harm Cumulative harm refers to
repeated patterns of circumstances and events in a child's life
which diminish and harm a child's sense of safety, stability and
wellbeing.
Earlier intervention Applied to
intervention that occurs when a child's, young person's or family's
vulnerability has been identified. Family Services will provide
critical, timely and responsive services before risks and concerns
escalate and lead to Child Protection intervention. By contrast,
the term 'early intervention' refers to intervention at a stage
before vulnerability has been identified and therefore applies to
more universal services. This definition is consistent with the
Family and Placement Services Sector Development Plan, March
2006.
Family A child or children and the persons
responsible for providing the necessary care and support to
facilitate the social, emotional, cognitive and physical
development of that child or children.
Family Violence
services
Integrated Family Violence
Services
Goal A stated objective or expectation that
can be clearly defined and measured. A goal could be the
development of a particular skill, gaining of specific knowledge or
achieving a change in behavior.
Integrated Reporting Information
System
(IRIS)
The data collection system used by DHS funded
child and family services.
Memorandum of
Understanding
A written document signed by the parties, setting
out their mutual intent.
Operational management
Child and Family Services Alliances will undertake
operational management through bringing together senior managers
from each of the alliance partners. These partners will develop and
implement agreed process for the operation of the Child FIRST and
family services system in the catchment.
Outcome A change in a person's, system's or
community's skills, knowledge or behaviour, or a change in the
environment, which occurs as a result of preceding conditions or
action taken.
Parent education The development of skills
and knowledge in all aspects of parenting. Parent education is
responsive to the varying needs of parents for educative support,
building on their level of knowledge and skill, and on cultural and
personal experiences of parenting. The content is always relevant
to the current developmental stages of their child or children.
Parent education may be formal or informal, professionally
facilitated or provided through the family's community
network.
Review Review involves an assessment by the
family and worker as to whether or not the goals and outcomes
specified in the child and family action plan have been achieved.
Inherent in the process is an evaluation of the strategies
implemented. The review phase may lead to planning the development
of alternative strategies for achieving the family's goals and
outcomes, altered or new goals or case closure.
Service coordination This will be
undertaken by Child and Family Services Alliances to coordinate
service delivery among alliance partners at a catchment or local
area level.
Significant concern; significant concern for
the development of a child
This term is used in the Children, Youth and
Families Act 2005 (Sections 22, 31 and 32). For the purposes of the
strategic framework for Family Services, significant concerns for
the development of a child can be defined as those vulnerable
children and young people who are the specified target
group.
Specialist services Services with specific
expertise that cater for a defined group of consumers with similar
concerns, for example, Child Protection, drug and alcohol services,
mental health services.
Strategic plan A documented approach or
plan of action for achieving the goals of the service or partners
in a catchment, or for addressing issues relating to aspects of
service delivery. Strategic plans developed by Family Services are
part of the quality improvement process, and therefore will focus
on strategies for improving the standard, efficiency and
effectiveness of services provided to the children, youth and
families.
Universal services Services established for
and accessed by a large proportion of the population, for example,
schools, general medical practices and maternal and child health
services.
Vulnerability For family services,
vulnerability means the specified target group as described in
Section 5.3.
