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Practitioner resource
The Child and Family Support System (CFSS) provides services to help keep children safe and well at home. This means working with the whole family – especially the children – to support them to make positive changes and to be able to sustain these changes after the service has ended. At any time when working with the family, practitioners are encouraged to seek clinical and cultural supervision as needed.
Throughout the journey of working with the child and family, a range of tools have been developed to capture data at key points. This data will help us to learn about the family’s current circumstances, stressors and strengths to help us build a system-level understanding of the families CFSS supports and to measure service delivery outcomes.
- Worries are raised
Someone identifies a family is showing signs of risk and needs additional support. - Referral is made
A request is made to connect the family with a service to support them to make positive changes and keep their children safe at home. - Family is connected to service
Key data capture point
CFSS Pathways Service receives the referral. Data capture commences and the family is connected to the right service at the right time, so that the children’s safety and wellbeing can be improved. - Engagement starts
The practitioner talks to the whole family – including all children in the household – about why they are there, what they do, the child safety concerns and the importance of engaging with the service. The practitioner listens to the family’s story, worries, strengths and hopes, and seeks to support the family’s self-determination to make positive changes. - Safety plan developed
By end of 3rd visit
A safety plan – created with the family – outlines immediate risks to child safety and sets clear, measurable safety goals to increase the children’s safety in the short term. The safety plan is updated with the family as goals are achieved and needs change. - Family snapshot completed
Within 6 weeks
Key data capture point
The family snapshot is completed by the practitioner to capture data about the family’s current circumstances, stressors and strengths. - Assessment completed
Within 6 – 8 weeks
A detailed assessment of the family is completed by the practitioner which combines knowledge about the family to create a picture of the current situation, the chronology and the possibility of cumulative harm. This assessment is updated as the practitioner learns more about the family, and when the family’s goals are achieved and their needs change. - Case plan developed
Within 6 – 8 weeks
A case plan is developed with the family and informed by the practitioner’s assessment of the family. The plan outlines goals for both the family and practitioner to work on together to sustain the children’s safety and strengthen the family’s relationships and capabilities. - Case plan implemented
Ongoing
The practitioner regularly meets with the family – including all the children – to help them achieve their case plan goals. This includes problem-solving challenges, connecting them to other supports, celebrating achievements, and planning next steps. The case plan is updated with the family as goals are achieved and needs change. - Case closure summary
Completed at case closure
The case closure form is completed and provides a summary of the intervention with the family, including the outcomes and goals achieved and what ongoing supports the family may need to sustain positive changes. - Follow-up family snapshot
Completed at the end of support journey
Key data capture point
The family snapshot is completed again by the practitioner to capture data about the family’s current circumstances, stressors and strengths to gauge whether our service has supported in improved outcomes for the family.