1.  Diploma In Community Service Work
 CHCPROT7101A
 Conduct complex Child Protection risk
Assessment
Best Interest Case Practice Model

2. Key Message
We can only do the “What” we do
effectively if we attend to “How” we
do it

3. Best Interest Case Practice Model –
BICPM- Summary Guide
The BICPM should not be
viewed by practitioners
only as a risk
assessment tool – It is a
framework for practice

4. Best Interests Case Practice Model
 The best interests of a child are protected and promoted by ensuring the
child’s right to
 Safety
 Stability
 Development
 For each child we must look at their safety,stability and development
through the lens of the child’s culture, gender,age,stage and development
 “In assessing,planning and acting to promote children’s safety, stability and
development, Child Protection and family and placement services need to
take account of a child’s age, stage of life and their culture and gender.
Together these considerations provide a lens through which to view safety,
stability and development and understand the unique circumstances and
experiences of a child”- Best Interests Framework Page 12

5. Best Interests Framework

6. Best Interest Case Practice Model

7. Overall Case Practice Model
 BICPM has at its foundation a dual focus
 The basic focus of any assessment and intervention must now be to answer
the question- How is this child developing?- as well as “Is this child safe?”
Core phases:
 Information gathering
 Analysis and Assessment
 Decisions/Agreements for Action
 Review
 These phases should be seen as continuing processes occuring through all
phases of family service,child protection and placement intervention, not
single once off events that then form immovable “truths” about a child’s
experience.

8. Information Gathering Activity
 Consider the following 3 questions keeping in mind the particular role of the
service you have been asked to represent
 What information do we want?
 Why do we want the information?
 Who do we have access to, to gain this information?
 How do we gather this information?
 You have 10 minutes

9. Information gathering cont’d
 As practitioners we must be mindful of not simply getting people’s
responses to specific questions, but also of asking people the meaning of
particular responses.
 Asking young person who is significant family member to them and WHY.
 OR – Asking young person who is not a significant family member to them
and WHY NOT?
 Requires curiosity and purpose in our thinking/behaviour so we are not
making assumptions

10. Information Gathering
 “Information gathering is a dynamic,
incremental, ongoing process. Throughout
the life of a case, you will be testing and
validating existing information and
gathering and recording new information”
 BICPM Summary Guide p.17

11. Information-Gathering
“Any risk or safety assessment or future casework is
only as good as the quality of information on which it
is based”
BICPM Summary Guide
p.17

12. Information gathering – How we do it
 The how when information –gathering is as important as getting the task
done
 We will have a better chance of true engagement with the family if we attend
to the dynamics of our interaction with them
 Engagement requires understanding of how trauma impacts on the child
and family

13. Tools used in Information Gathering
 Genograms
 Eco maps
 Timelines
Used to assist practitioners to
 Develop early responses to children and families
 Visual guides to think and act systemically
 Draw out a families story

14. Key domains of Information Gathering
 Child or young person's safety
 Child or young person’s stability
 Child or young person’s development and
wellbeing
 Parent/carer capacity
 Current family composition and dynamics
 Family history
 Social and economic environment
 Community partnerships, resources and social
networks

15. Child’s Culture
 Need to identify whether the child is
 Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander
From another culturally and Linguistically Diverse background.
“Culture in many ways defines who we are, how we think, how we
communicate, what we value and what is important. Culture constantly
evolves and adapts us and is always a significant and changing influence on
us”
VACCA- Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency 2000”
Aboriginal Resources and Cultural Guide” P6

16. Child’s age and stage of life
 Specify child’s date of birth and describe their stage of life-
 Need to establish a comprehensive sense of what this means in terms of
stages of child development.
 This must be take into account when considering how to respond to the
child’s safety, stability and developmental needs.
 Child’s age and stage alerts practitioners to the key developmental tasks
that the child should be undertaking that then provides a base line for
assessing and weighting the child’s developmental needs.
 Practitioners also need to be attuned to vulnerability of infants and the likely
impact of trauma and neglect for the child’s future safety, stability and
development.

17. Child’s Safety
 Promoting a child’s best interests requires all practitioners to have the dual
focus of safety and development
 Need to keep at all times, the experience of the child in the forefront of their
minds and ask themselves
 WHAT DOES BEING SAFE MEAN FOR THIS CHILD GIVEN THEIR
AGE,STAGE,CULTURE AND GENDER?
 -REQUIRES WHEREVER POSSIBLE TALKING TO THE CHILD AND
GAINING AN IDEA OF WHAT IT MEANS TO THE CHILD TO BE SAFE.!!!

18. Child’s Safety Information
 Important that child safety information is viewed through the lens of
age,stage of development,culture and gender
 A lack of provision of care can be life threatening for an infant, whereas an
older child is more resilient.
 For some cultures, provision of basic care may be undertaken by range of
extended family members- May be appropriate way- does not necessarily
imply that child’s parents are failing in their responsibilities.
 For Aboriginal children connection to culture through family,extended family
and community can be a critical protective factor.

19. Child’s safety cont’d
 Gender may have an impact on care provided, particularly if primary carer
has displaced hostility towards the opposite sex due to abusive
experiences.
Is basic care provided?
 We know child is safe when parents or carers are
 Providing the basic care for the child’s immediate and future stability and
healthy development
Protecting the child from harm and it’s adverse consequences for the child’s
immediate and future stability and healthy development.
- Physical, emotional, social needs- nature of these will depend on their age,
stage of life, culture and gender
- Does the carer respond quickly and appropriately to child’s needs?
- Does the carer consistently give priority to child’s needs over their own or
partner’s needs?

20. Protection from harm
 Need to identify the actual or believed
harm
 Sources of harm
 Pattern and history (of this child and of
other children)
 Opportunities for harm

21. Protection from Harm cont’d
 Being protected from harm means that the child is protected by parents from
immediate, cumulative or likely harm to their safety, stability and
development caused by
 Abandonment
 Physical injury
 Sexual Abuse
 Emotional or psychological abuse
 Neglect
 CYFA 2005 s162

22. Actual or Alleged Harm
 Need to clearly establish and describe the causes and incidents of harm.
 Need to gather information about the severity of the harm.
 How does this harmful behaviour impact on this particular child’s
development, given their age stage,culture and gender?
 On the basis of this family services practitioners will need to decide whether
to contact Child Protection.
Community Based Child Protection workers are also available to provide
consultation and advice.

23. Sources of Harm
 Identifying the relationships, behaviours and situations that are causing
harm to the child.
 Remember this also includes risk taking behaviour by young person-Can be
source of harm to themselves.
 Need to gather information about the severity of the harm-Must be viewed
through lens of age,stage,culture and gender.
 HOW DID THIS HARMFUL BEHAVIOUR IMPACT ON THIS PARTICULAR
CHILD’S DEVEOLPMENT AND SAFETY, GIVEN THEIR
AGE,STAGE,CULTURE AND GENDER?

24. Pattern and History for this child and other
children
 Provides a sense of the potential cumulative harm- The effects of patterns
of circumstances and events in a child’s life, which diminish their sense of
safety, stability and well-being.
 Of crucial importance is the child’s subjective experience and meaning and
significance and impact to the child.
 Have there been previous incidents? How severe were these incidents?
 What was the nature of these concerns- how were issues addressed at the
time?
 How long ago were these concerns? Does the space between indicate
escalation?

25. Opportunities for Harm-Access to harming
parent,exposure to harm
 Is the harming parent/carer the primary carer for the children?
 Do they accept responsibility for their role in the abuse?
 How does the primary carer ( if not the harming carer) understand the
situation?
 What protection can they offer the child?
 How does the child understand the situation?
 How does the harming carer view their role in the abusive episode?
 How does the harming carer view the child?
 Is their view of the child’s abilities consistent with their developmental
stage?

26. Child’s Stability
Connection to the primary caregiver
Connection to family/siblings
Connection to school/childcare/friends
Connection to community
Connection to culture

27. Child’s Development
 Health and physical development
 Family and social relationships
 Emotional and behavioural relationships
 Education/learning
 Identity
 Social presentation
 Self-care skills

28. Parent/carer capabilities
 Involves assessing parent/carer capacity to protect children from harm and
enhance their developmental experiences-
 Parental attitude to the child and actual or alleged harm
Parent’s capabilities for meeting the child’s needs
 Previous history of parenting.
 Providing basic care
 Ensuring safety
 Emotional warmth and responsiveness
 Guidance and boundaries
 Consistency and reliability
 Stimulating learning and development.
 Factors & circumstances diminishing parent’s capabilities.

29. Parent/carer capabilities
 Information gathered should come from variety of sources, including
 Interviews with the child,parents/carers
 Reviews of written records and reports
 Observations during home visits and access
 Contact with involved agencies, extended family members, representatives
of cultural community
 Consultation with colleagues and supervisors.
 Donald and Jureidini (2004) Parenting Capacity, Child Abuse Review
propose the central issue should be
 “the parent’s ability to empathically understand and give priority to their
children’s needs.”

30. Parenting Capacity cont’d -Manitoba Risk
Estimation System
 Provides guidance to likelihood/probability.
 Research was undertaken of 1500 cases of child protection and a
predictability theory was developed where 3 constant dimensions were
identified where abuse was occurring-
 Pattern and history
 Beliefs
 Complicating factors

31. Pattern and History
 The first and most important dimension of caregiver characteristics that
should be considered is their prior pattern with the respect to treatment of
children. The number of maltreatment events they have initiated, their
severity and recency are the most basic of guides to future behaviour.
 In the absence of effective intervention these behavioural patterns would be
expected to continue into the future

32. Beliefs
 If an individual believes that they are correct in their opinions about children,
they will attempt to continue their behaviour so long as they are not
prevented in doing so

33. Complicating factors
 Third dimension concerns the presence of complicating factors, most
significantly- substance abuse,mental illness,social isolation and violent
behaviour.
 The relevance of complicating factors is the extent to which they singularly
or in combination diminish the capacity to provide sufficient care and
protection to the child or young person.

34. Parenting capacity and Substance misuse
 The misuse of drugs and/or alcohol may adversely affect the ability of
 parents to attend to the emotional, physical and developmental needs
 of their children in both the short and long term.
 Studies often fail to evaluate the impact of substance misuse on
 parenting capacity relative to other aspects of disadvantage, such as
 poverty, unemployment or depression
 • Parents are worried about losing their children, so confidentiality is
 considered to be a requirement for support services
 • Children often know more about their parents’ misuse than parents
 realise, and feel the stigma and shame of this misuse, but also fear the
 possibility of being separated from their parents and taken into care

35. Family Violence
 “In the situations of ongoing domestic
violence, the repeated co-occurrence of
intense need and utter helplessness leads
to a chronic depressive state in which the
child feels at loss to make and maintain
satisfying emotional relationships.”
 Lieberman and Van Horn 1998

36. Family Violence
 “From the perspective of attachment theory,
witnessing the mother being attacked and
wounded represents a profound assault on
the child’s trust in the attachment figure as a
reliable protector. When the child most needs
her proximity, contact and reassurance, the
mother cannot provide this comfort, because
she herself is damaged and unavailable.”
 Lieberman and Van Horn, 1998

37. How trauma and deprivation can impact on parenting:
 Inability to regulate own emotions
 Never learning what healthy parenting looks and feels like.
 Not knowing what to expect for healthy development
 Dissociative states
 Misinterpreting child’s normal behavioural and developmental
responses as an attack.
 Projecting image of perpetrator on to the child.
 Maladaptive survival strategies, such as substance abuse.
 Fear of child’s anger
 Currently in fear or traumatisation.
 Living in a state of chaos and crisis that crowds out anything
other than survival
(Annette Jackson, Take Two/Berry Street)

38. Parenting Capacity cont’d
 Recent Government Framework document-UK.
 Parenting capacity-”ability of parents/caregivers to ensure that child’s
developmental needs are being appropriately and adequately responded to,
and to be able to adapt to the child’s changing needs overtime. This
includes providing for child’s basic physical needs, ensuring their safety,
ensuring their emotional needs are met and giving child sense of being
specially valued, promoting the child’s intellectual development through
encouragement and stimulus, demonstrating appropriate behaviour and
control of emotions and providing a sufficient stable family environment

39. Strength Based Practice
 Assessing parenting capacity must also have a strength based focus. This
assists in identifying the strengths and skills already possessed by the
parents which can then be supported by interventions.
 Strength based focus on positive aspects of family functioning does not
imply that family difficulties and children’s safety and development is
forgotten.
 The approach is child-centred and family focussed. The best interests of the
child are paramount, while maintaining a focus on building family members
competence in order to tackle problems and issues effectively.- Best
Interests Case Practice Model for Family Services,Child Protection and
Placement Services

40. Family composition and Dynamics
Family/household composition &relationships
Family history and dynamics
Cultural content
Involvement of extended family/possible carers.

41. Social and Economic environment
Housing
employment patterns
income

42. Community partnerships, reources and
networks
 Networks, including engagement with support services and family
integration
 Available community resources

43. Definitions
 Harm/Cumulative Harm
 Impact
 Vulnerability
 Sustainability
 Culture
Activity: define these terms

44. Cumulative harm
Child’s unmet needs = harm to development
over time
‘Research evidence has shown that a child
can be as severely harmed by the cumulative
impact of less severe risk factors e.g. neglect
and family violence, as by a single, severe
episode of harm’
Summary guide page 8

45. Harm- Considerations
 What has happened or is likely to happen to the child?
 Distinguish between harm and harm causing behaviour?
 Describe the evidence of harm, i.e injuries, behaviours which indicate harm,
developmental delay that has been assessed by a medical professional as
being non-organic, high risk adolescent behaviours etc.
 Harm= Acts of omission and commission

46. Impact- Considerations
 What effect has the harm had on the child’s safety,stability and
development?
 How severe do you judge this impact to be?

47. Vulnerability - Considerations
 Considering the child’s age, stage, culture and gender, how do
these factors increase/decrease this particular child’s vulnerability to
further harm?
 Does the child’s particular temperament/personality impact on their
vulnerability to further harm?
 Does the child have a physical/intellectual disability that adds to
their vulnerability to further harm?
 Are there socio-economic factors that make this child more/less
vulnerable to further harm?
 Do family patterns indicate increased vulnerability to the child?

48. Vulnerability
 Vulnerability can be defined as those innate characteristics of the child or
those imposed by their family circle and wider community that might
challenge or threaten development.
 ( Daniel,Wassell & Gillgan1999)

49. Sustainability - Considerations
 Where strengths and/or protections have
been identified, how do we assess the
likelihood that they can be sustained over
time?
Strengths should not be confused with
safety

50. Culture - Considerations
 Culture is a broadly-defined concept that
encompasses a child’s core identity, the meaning of
that identity to that child and their family, and the
wraparound scaffolding that maintains that cultural
identity i.e. family/cultural connectedness (extended
family, community), family rituals and customs,
stories and music etc.
Key message: Culture is not a “Yes/No” question
to be ticked off!!

51. Analysis and Planning
 “Analysis and planning is professional
judgement that is informed by your collaboration
with the family and other professionals, and the
integration of the relevant evidence base. This
process uses both analytic and intuitive
reasoning. Analytic reasoning is logical and
evidence based, and grounds the intuitive, to
form a clear rationale as the basis of any action.
Each brings to practice, a balance and wisdom
of its own”
 BICPM Summary Guide p 29

52. Resource
Key reference:
“Effective Child Protection Practice” (Eileen
Munro, 2002)
- relevant to all who work with vulnerable
children and families, not just Child
Protection practitioners.

53. Analysis and Planning
 Need to organise information and consider it’s implications for the child and
family.
 ANALYSIS OF HARM TO THE CHILD
 What has happened in the past and more recently and what have been
impacts on the child?
 Pattern and history- identify any cumulative harm.
 Impact of harm on the child’s stability-( in terms of connection to family and
community) and development- ( how child’s development is being harmed,
in terms of 7 life areas.
 Severity of impact of harm to child’s stabilty and development and whether
harm is immediate or associated with a cumulative pattern.

54. Analysis of harm to the child cont’d
 Important part of analysis of harm- Severity of harm
 After consideration of available information at this point in time, you are on
balance more inclined to form view-
 That concerns currently have low to moderate impact on the child and the
immediate safety of the child is not compromised
 OR
 The concerns currently have a serious impact on the child’s immediate
safety or development, or the concerns are persistent, entrenched and likely
to have a serious impact on the child’s development.
 Vulnerabiilty of the child- consider age,stage, gender of the child and build a
picture that considers the factors that increase or decrease the child’s
vulnerability

55. Future risks to the child.
 Consider – What likely to happen in the future given what we know about
this child and their family circumstances?
 Vulnerability of the child
 Pattern and history
 Impact of factors diminishing parental capability.- Complicating factors,
parental characteristics
 Impact of family composition and dynamics
 Impact of the social, community and economic environment
 Likelihood of future harm to a child’s stability and development.
 To reach a conclusion that a child is likely to be safe from future harm,
practitioners need to see demonstrated actions in a range of contexts, over
a significant period of time

56. Sustainability of protective factors
 Balanced risk assessment- considered the potential for safety as well as
potential for harm- Even in worst case scenarios there will be some
strengths- a focus on strengths and protection does not equate with
minimising harms.- must be balanced weighting of relevant information.-
Need to be able to identify resources within the family that could meet the
child’s safety and developmental needs.
 Parental strengths including their attitudes and capabilities
 Support from family,extended family, alternative carers & significant others
 Access to and engagement with formal services and informal networks of
support.
 Cultural support
 Demonstrated signs of safety.

57. Child’s Needs
 What does this child need now and in the future, in relation to theirsafety,
stability, development, taking into account age and stage of life?
 In considering a child’s developmental needs, what does this child need
now and in the future to protect and promote their cultural identity and
connection?
 What is the extent to which these needs
 Are being met now?
 Are likely to be met in the future

58. Promoting the child’s best interests
 The identified needs of the child in terms of safety, stability and
development will form the basis of best interests planning and action.
 What are the risks and needs of this child?
 What is the rationale for weighting these risks and needs, taking account of
The impact of past harm on the child.
 Whether the child is currently protected from harm
 The probability of future harm( based on past patterns and history and the
cumulative harm to the child).
 What is your goal in working towards the best interests of this child?
 What has already been tried and what was the result?

59. Promoting the child’s best interests – cont’d
 Is the parent willing to prioritise the child’s needs? Can this caregiver
provide what this child needs now and in the future?
 What are the views of the child, parents, family, significant others and other
professionals?
 What will be the most effective approach to meeting the child’s current
safety, stability and developmental needs, taking account of available
resources?
 What can be done to promote the child’s future safety, stability and positive
development?

60. Decisions/Agreements for Action
 Or what is known as Safety, Stability and Development statement-
 Need to include-
 Are there concerns for the child’s well being?
 Does the child require other interventions to ensure their well being?
 Has past harm or risk of harm been substantiated?
 Does it appear that that this child is in need of protection?
 Does the child need alternative care?
 What is the evidence for this decision?
 What forms of assistance does this family need?
 What other actions are required to ensure the ongoing safety, stability and
development- Do not forget to think about likelihood of future harm

61. Decisions/Agreements for action cont’d
 What is your plan?
 What needs to be done
 By whom?
 When?

62. Children Court Orders
 In Child Protection there are a number of thresholds or level of concerns
which serve to inform decision making. Analysis and assessment provide
the basis for identifying when a threshold has been reached. For example
when a child is removed from the parent’s care, the evidence must at a
minimum support a view “unacceptable risk of harm to the child” (s.10(3)
(g)CYFA. – Advice number-1336- Protection Order descriptions- CP manual
 SIGNIFICANT HARM
 Clear understanding is fundamental requirement for Child Protection
workers. Significant harm is not defined in CYFA- however Justice O;Brien
in the Supreme Court decision of Director-General of Community Services
Victoria v Buckley(1992)(unreported) defined “significant” as

63. Significant Harm-cont’d
 Justice O;Brien
 “More than trivial or insignificant, but need not be as high as serious
 Important”
 Important or of consequence to the child’s development.
 It is irrelevant that the evidence may not prove some lasting permanent
effect or that the condition could be treated

64. Likelihood of Significant Harm
 Likelihood of significant harm is central consideration in the development of
the current assessment throughout Child Protection involvement. It is a
primary driver for continued Child Protection involvement after
substantiation or for making a protection application to court.
 Where the likelihood of significant harm is assessed as posing”an
unacceptable risk of harm to the child s10(2)(g) CYFA, the threshold for
removing a child from their parent’s care has been reached.
 A view on likelihood requires consideration of
 Pattern and history of care-giver behaviour- frequency,severity,duration,type
of harm caused.
 Parental beliefs, values and motives in relation to the child and other
children

65. Likelihood of Significant harm – cont’d
 Contributing /complicating factors – substance abuse,mental illness,violent
behaviour,social isolation, disability and their impact on parental capacity.
 Needs of child- developmental, medical or other special needs
 Child’s behaviour- including risk taking, harm to self and others.
 Refer to Advice number 108- Child Protection manual for more information
 Read Analysis and assessment in best interests case practice- Advice
number 1535- Child Protection manual

66. Assessment Framework
 Analysis and planning aims to assist practitioners to integrate the
information they have gathered into a current assessment that leads to a
well considered plan.

67. Weighting of information to assist in Risk
Assessment
When weighting up information you have obtained in completing your
assessment of risk to the child the following should be included in your analysis
 Child and young person’s vulnerability (including age, stage, culture and
gender)
 What are the protective concerns related to the child (actual harm and
believed harm – relating back to CYFA 2005 s.162)
 Pattern and History of harm to the child (has there been any previous CP
intervention and what has this related to)
 Identified strengths and protections within the family. (what are the family
willing to do and what have they demonstrated they can do to ensure a
child’s safety)
 What are the consequences of harm to the child (relating to theories of
trauma, attachment and development)
 Engagement of family (who is involved with the family currently and
historically, what has this engagement looked like)
 What are the needs and rights of the child?

68. Articulating Your Analysis
“Practitioners need to be able to present
evidence to the Children’s Court that shows the
effects of harm…and future risks to children’s
safety, stability and development. The Court will
also want to know the rationale for professional
judgements and decision-making, what
assistance has been provided to the family and
the outcomes of previous interventions, all
supported by evidence.”
Summary Guide p.4

69. Professional Judgement
“It is important that practitioners are aware of the
problems associated with professional judgement.
These problems include a lack of recognition of
known risk factors, the predominance of verbal
evidence over written, a focus on the immediate
present or latest episode rather then considering
significant historical information, and a failure to
revise initial assessments in the light of new
information”
(Munro,1999)

70. Professional Judgement – Evidence
Based Practice
 Professional Judgement – can be influenced by
your own life experience, values and beliefs,
culture and education.
 Evidence Based Practice – factual information
drawn from your own observations, credible
information from other parties, expert opinions
from professionals which will either corroborate
or refute information gathered.

71. Spot the difference
1. “The child is at risk due to exposure to
parental substance abuse, the parent has
refused to access a treatment service and
has not complied with Child Protection’s
investigation. This child needs a safe and
stable environment where her physical
and emotional needs are met.”

72. Spot the difference
2. “The child’s physical safety is at risk as
the parent’s substance use occurs when
the parent is the sole supervisor of the
child. The child displays evidence of harm
to her development in her delayed
speech, her untreated eczema and her
significant weight loss over the past
month”

73. Action
 Action is not simply making a
recommendation to the Children’s Court,
or developing a Best Interests Plan, or
holding a case conference.
 Action is each intervention you and other
practitioners undertake with a child and
family.

74. Action
“Any action should be based on sound
analysis and be purposeful towards
engaging the family members in a change
process”
Summary Guide p.38

75. Actions
 Any actions taken must evolve from an
analysis of the available information.
 Actions must where possible be taken in
partnership with the family and with a
professional network/care team.

76. Key Message
“Where there is harm, referral to another
service will not ensure that the family
will engage or that change will occur.
There needs to be active casework to
ensure that the family engages with the
service in a meaningful way.”
(Summary Guide p.29)

77. Review
“Review is the continual process of being
curious about our effectiveness”
Summary Guide p.45

78. Review
“Review information frequently. Identify
gaps. Be open to changing your initial
views rather than interpreting new
information in a way that supports a pre-
existing opinion of a child or family”
BICPM Summary Guide p.17

79. Review
“Good practice requires competence and
courage about what we do know, but an
openness and humility about what we
might not know”
Summary Guide

80. Reviewing Outcomes
 Review information frequently
 Identify gaps
 Be open to changing your initial view then rigidly
defended as the ‘truth’ about the family.
 Ensure regular supervision
 Review cases with peers
 Engage in reflective practice
 Have sound judgement

81. When do I do an Assessment of Risk
When completing a risk assessment you are referring to a single point
in the life of a case and therefore your assessment is limited and will
require modification as further information is received.
 Intake
 First Visit (2 and 14 day KPI’s)
 Investigation – substantiation decision (28 day KPI)
 Information received that raises concerns for a child safety and wellbeing –
Familial or non familial allegations
 Decision to Issue Protection Application or breach an existing order
 Decision for out-of-home care / Kinship placement
 Case Planning (6 weeks pre and post court order)
 Quality of care or Abuse in care investigation
 After conducting routine home visits
 Movement of Phase (90 day KPI for Protective Intervention – closure)

82. Key considerations
 What has been tried and worked/not worked before to
protect and promote the child’s safety and wellbeing
 What is required to protect and promote the child’s
safety and well being
 What mix of professional and non professional support is
required to assist the family in sustaining change
 Out-of-home care – considerations of kinship options,
contact and access, care team, LAC, reunification and
leaving care.
Sustaining engagement with the child, young person and
family, ‘getting them on board of a gaol for change’ is the
key to achieving positive outcomes for your clients.

83.  The best interests of a child and young
person should at all times be the
paramount considerations in determining
what action to take.
 BICPM Summary Guide p37

84. Trauma and Development
“Remain compassionate to the distress that
children and families experience and
mindful that anger and resistance usually
reflect the hurt and overwhelm that lies
beneath”
(Summary Guide p.15)
BICPM Training: Wed 15th July 2009 84

85. Trauma and Development
 The parents of the children we work with
are often impacted by trauma themselves.
 What we may label as “difficult”,
“resistant”, “not listening”, inconsistent”
may indeed be behavioural indicators of a
trauma history
BICPM Training: Wed 15th July 2009 85

86. Understanding Trauma and Development
There are numerous tools and resources available to support and assist you in your analysis and planning for children,
young people and their families
 Child, Youth and Families Act 2005
 Best Interests Case Practice Model Summary Guide
 Victorian Charter of Human rights and Responsibilities (as set out in the Charter of Human Rights and
responsibilities Act 2006)
 Professional Supervision
 Child development and Trauma guide
 Best Interest principles: Conceptual overview
 Cumulative Harm: BICPM Specialist practice Resource
 Infants and their families: BICMP Specialist practice resource
 Children with problem sexual behaviours and their families: BICPM Specialist practice resource
 Adolescents and their families: BICPM Specialist practice resource
 Adolescents with sexually abusive behaviours and their families: BICPM Specialist practice resource
 Principal Practitioner
 Every Child Every Chance
 Office of the Child Safety Commissioner
 Child Death Inquiries - Reports
 Child Protection Manual
 Case Planning
 High Risk Infant Manager and Specialist Infant Protective Workers

87. The Best Interests Case Practice model
 Is -
 relationship based, child focussed, family
centred
 ecological and systemic
 culturally competent

88. The model is (cont)
 developmentally and trauma informed
 gender aware and analytical
 dynamic and responsive

89. The model is (cont)
 based on professional judgement
 strengths based
 outcomes focussed

90. Legislative Considerations for Decision
Making
 CYFA 2005 s.10 – Best Interest Principles
 CYFA 2005 s.11 – Decision Making
Principles
 CYFA 2005 s.12 – Additional Decision
Making principles for Aboriginal children

91. Key Domains of Decision Making
 Ensure the safety and wellbeing of the
child, young person and their family
 What supports are need
 Case Planning
 Child’s wellbeing is it being protected and
promoted
 Out-of-home care

92. Reflective Practice
The BICPM requires reflective practice:
“In Victoria there is a strong commitment
to strengthening a culture of reflective
practice so that the best interests of
Children are achieved”
BICPM Summary Guide p.49

93. Reflective Practice is……
Planning Experience
Reflection Observation