One of the first
tasks for workers is to respond to the callers need for further
information about the service they have contacted. This is
particularly relevant at present due to the changing service system
and a significant level of uncertainty in the community and service
sector about who they should be calling for
assistance.
It's important to
note that people often contact the service under significant stress
and their needs for information vary greatly. It is not possible or
advisable to provide detailed information to every caller, on every
aspect of the service. The approach to information provision
to callers needs to vary depending on the nature of the request,
the person making the request and the particular type of
referral.
This Operations
manual provides further detailed scripts to describe the range of
issues/practices that callers to the service may need information
about.
What follows is a
summary of the key information that may need to be explained by
Child FIRST workers.
A summary is
provided to all callers (when relevant and where this information
is not already known) which covers the following key
points:
Child FIRST -
Child and Family Information, Referral and Support
Team
-
Provides access to a range of
resources and information through links and partnerships with other
service providers, including the Department of Human Services Child
Protection Unit. - see script
-
Members of the Alliance
-
Eligibility and Catchment
-
Indigenous Child FIRST worker-
see script
-
Availability and
involvement
-
Services offered can include;
-
links/referral to other
services
-
provision of information or one-off
assistance
-
outreach family support
-
focus sessions
-
group work
-
Partnerships with local services -
see script
-
Community Based Child Protection
role
-
Consultations with Community Based
Child Protection
-
Services are; - see
script
-
Operated within a strength based and
client directed framework
-
Voluntary, flexible and driven by the
family and what we learn about what each family
need/want.
-
Responsive and aim to respond quickly
to requests
-
Information Sharing practices -
see script
-
Privacy and
Confidentiality
-
Practices for collecting and
disclosing information (Privacy Legislation and the Children, Youth
and Families Act)
-
Protecting referrers
identity
-
Case files
-
Referral process - see
script
-
Request for service
process
-
Preferred methods of contact with
families
-
Allocation meetings
-
Seeking consent for release of
information processes
-
Informing referrers or families of the
next steps
-
Collecting information -
see script
-
Documenting family
information
-
Case files
-
Iris data requests (eg housing,
income, family status etc)
** Child FIRST
will further develop this information in the form of a Client
Information booklet.
