Introduction and overview

The Collaborative Practice in Child Wellbeing and Protection: NSW Interagency Guidelines for Practitioners 2021 (the Guidelines) is a resource for all government and non-government agencies working in the child and family services sector. The Guidelines provide key information and guidance to assist interagency partners to work collaboratively to meet the safety, welfare and wellbeing needs of children and young people.

If you work with, or provide a service to children, young people or families, you have a role to play in identifying needs, strengths and opportunities to support them. This is best achieved through building strong working relationships with children and their families, including extended family and kin, and working collaboratively with other practitioners who know them.

The Guidelines contain a range of topics including:

• Child wellbeing and protection laws in NSW
• Prevention and early intervention
• Working with children and families
• Information sharing for service coordination
• Understanding key roles and responsibilities in the sector
• Reporting and responding to child wellbeing and safety concerns
• Assessing wellbeing, safety and risk
• Courts involving children and young people.

These Guidelines have been developed in partnership with government and non-government organisations with input from a cross-sector working group. They replace the Child Wellbeing and Child Protection NSW Interagency Guidelines 2012.

References to ‘children’ in these Guidelines includes a reference to young people. Section 4 of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 provides that a ‘child’ is a person who is under the age of 16 and a ‘young person’ is a person aged 16 and above but who is under the age of 18.

In NSW, the safety and wellbeing of children is the shared responsibility of parents and families, and is supported by the community, government and non-government organisations. When we all work together, children and families are more likely to be supported in a coordinated and seamless way, which helps achieve better outcomes for all.

We aim to build relationships that reflect trust, mutual respect and commitment with both families and agency partners. All practitioners are accountable for maintaining communication and connection to ensure effective collaborative partnerships.

Partnership with families

Good collaborative practice sets up a working alliance with families and helps to create a team of effective supports around them. Families and children should be supported to actively engage in planning, actions and decision-making around their lives. Working in partnership with a family can also help practitioners understand a family’s informal support networks and how these can support effective change.

Collaboration can:

• increase access to and use of services by families
• promote holistic service
• facilitate the communication of consistent information to families.

For specific information, guidance and resources for working with people with disability, Aboriginal families, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and people with diverse gender and sexuality identity, see Working with children and families

As practitioners and organisations working with children, families and communities, we share an obligation to work fairly, justly and in ways that support and strengthen families while bringing safety to children. We do this work with sincere acknowledgement of the ways that our work in the past has led to deep injustices against Aboriginal children, their families and their communities.

All practitioners working with Aboriginal families and communities need to understand the history of dispossession, social, political and economic exclusion, and intergenerational trauma. Historical government policies and laws created circumstances where Aboriginal people have been disenfranchised. As a result of these conditions, Aboriginal children are significantly over-represented in the child protection system. Aboriginal children are about six times more likely to be reported at risk of significant harm.

We cannot undo past wrongs. We cannot make up for the childhoods lost and the damage caused to individuals, families and cultural connections. In looking to the future we need to understand how we arrived at where we are today and ensure that we do not repeat the past injustices performed against Aboriginal people. Read the DCJ Apology letter to the Aboriginal people of NSW (PDF, 859.11 KB)

Improving the safety, welfare and wellbeing of Aboriginal children is a key focus for the NSW Government. These Guidelines provide important information and guidance to NSW practitioners on how to practice our collective commitment to Aboriginal children, young people, families and communities.

The Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (the Care Act) outlines the principles that inform our work with children and families. The overriding principle of the Care Act is that the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children must be paramount in all decisions concerning them. Agencies working together collaboratively will be able to make better decisions concerning a child’s safety and the ability of their family to protect them.

The delivery of effective support and assistance to children and families with vulnerabilities is a complex combination of activities. It requires an integrated approach where all those involved work together effectively to help keep children well and safe so they can thrive and reach their potential.

Working in partnership together with families and each other is essential to achieving better outcomes for all children and families in NSW.

Aboriginal children and families

The Care Act includes the principles of Aboriginal self-determination (section 11) and participation in decision making (section 12). This ensures Aboriginal people participate in decision making regarding the care and protection of their children. The right to self-determination for Aboriginal people is also provided for in Article 3 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Aboriginal Case Management Policy (ACMP) is an operational framework for all practitioners working with Aboriginal children and families across the continuum of support in NSW. The ACMP provides a framework for Aboriginal-led and culturally embedded case management practice to safeguard the best interests of Aboriginal children.

The Aboriginal Consultation Guide can be used to guide effective and ongoing consultation with Aboriginal families and communities.

Child wellbeing and protection laws in NSW provides an overview of legislation governing child wellbeing and protection in NSW, and other laws relating to children.

Prevention and early intervention includes relevant policy frameworks, initiatives and services that aim to support children and families experiencing vulnerabilities and prevent children from coming into statutory out-of-home care.

Working with children and families contains approaches and practice advice for working effectively with children and families. This includes specific information and resources for working with Aboriginal families and communities, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability, and people with diverse gender and sexual identity.

Information sharing for service coordination explains how agencies can share information and collaborate in working towards common safety and wellbeing goals for the children and families we work with. It includes an overview of legislative and policy frameworks related to information sharing.

Understanding roles and responsibilities in the sector outlines the roles of key agencies involved in the child and family service sector, information about the Permanency Support Program, and the use of ChildStory for sharing information between agencies.

Reporting and responding to child wellbeing and safety concerns explains mandatory reporting obligations and how agencies can respond to concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing. Resources and practice advice is also included.

Assessing wellbeing, safety and risk provides an overview of how risk of significant harm is assessed by the Department of Communities and Justice. It outlines how decisions are made when responding to reports regarding a child’s safety and wellbeing.

Courts involving children and young people provides an overview of processes related to the Children’s Court. It includes care and protection proceedings and the types of orders the Children’s Court may make. Part 8 also contains information about other courts children and families may come into contact with.