Assessing wellbeing, safety and risk

Children and families need to be provided with timely and effective assessment to determine the factors affecting the safety and wellbeing of their children. Children at risk of significant harm have a right to responsive assessment and casework to keep them safe. This includes sharing information with other agencies working with the family, and partnering with other services to reduce the risks to children.

A true picture of safety and risk is created by considering the overall wellbeing of children within the context of their families’ lives, including the physical environment, their history, culture and life experiences.

Assessment of child safety and risk relies on respectful, meaningful engagement with the family, and bringing together all that we know about the family and linking this to our professional experience, knowledge and theory. The key to successful change lies in the quality of the relationship between service providers and a family. This includes the ability of practitioners to communicate effectively with families about the specific identified risks to their children and what parents can do to address safety concerns.

This part includes the following sections:

• Relevant NSW legislation
• The NSW Structured Decision Making Framework
• Child Protection Helpline (the Helpline)
• Assessment of safety and risk
• Joint Child Protection Response Program (JCPRP)
• After Hours Response Team (AHRT)
• Collaborative decision-making and sharing risk.