Case plan and placement agreement

Case planning

A case plan is developed for every child subject to on-going invention with Child Safety and this includes children and young people who are in out of home care. The main purpose of a case plan is to ensure that the child’s safety, belonging and wellbeing needs are being met.

A case plan is a written plan that outlines the following:

• The overall goal of the intervention, which may be reunification of the child with their family or an alternative permanency option, such as long term out of home care.
• What is working well for the child? What actions have been taken by the parents to protect the child from harm? What strengths and resources are present to enhance the child’s safety, belonging and wellbeing.
• What needs to happen to ensure the child’s safety, belonging and wellbeing?
  • Worry Statements – what is it that Child Safety and others are worried will happened in the future if nothing changes?
  • Goal Statements – What do the parents, Child Safety and others want the future to look like? How will we know that the child’s safety, belonging and wellbeing needs are being met?
  • Action – What needs to be done? By who? When will it be completed? When and who will review that the action has been completed?
• Details where the child is living and what educational arrangements are in place for the child. For example, whether they are attending school or childcare.
• Arrangements for maintaining the child’s family culture and community connections, including arrangements for contact between the child and the child’s parents and extended family.
• If the child is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander the child’s case plan must include a cultural support plan. This outlines how the child will be assisted to maintain their connection to family and culture and how in your role as carer you will assist with this if the child is in out of home care.
• If the child is 15 years or over a Transition to Adulthood plan also needs to be developed to support the child to develop the skills they need once they have leave care.

There are legislative provisions within the Child Protection Act 1999 that outlines the requirements when developing a case plan. These specify what a case plan needs to include, who can participate in the development of case plan and how case planning must be carried out, including the need to undertake a review of the case plan, every 6 months.

Case plans are generally developed through the process of holding a Family Group Meeting, which can be facilitated by either an independent or a departmental convenor. Currently, there is a focus on strengthening “collaborative family led decision” making processes within these meetings. This allows for families to identify their own strength’s and actively contribute to the goals and actions within the case plan. If age appropriate, the child should be involved in the case planning process. Other relevant people that may be involved in case planning include members of the child’s extended family, members of a child’s safety and support network, representatives from agencies providing support to the child or family, a community visitor or child advocate from the Office of the Public Guardian, and legal representatives including a direct representative, a separate representative or a parent’s legal representative.

As a carer, you will play an important role in both the development of the case plan and putting the case planning goals into action. This may include outlining how you will assist the child with the following:

• meeting the day to day needs of the child
• supporting the child to attend contact and maintain connections to their community and culture
• assisting the child to meet their educational needs
• assisting to meet the child’s medical and therapeutic needs
• assisting the child to transition to adulthood.

The case planning process provides an opportunity to identify the need for additional resources and financial support that may be required to support the child, during the case planning period. Any additional child related costs identified through the case planning process then need to be formally approved through the standard departmental processes, prior to being implemented.

Placement agreement

A placement agreement is an important written document between Child Safety and you, the child’s carer, about the care of a child. Its purpose is to provide you with the information you need about the child and to jointly plan for meeting the child’s needs. The placement agreement will:

• outline the goals of the child’s case plan
• provide information about the child’s assessed strengths and needs, and any tasks required in relation to these
• detail the family contact arrangements for the child, and who will do what
• identify and record the agreed supports and services you need to care for the child, including financial support, learning and training needs, and respite support
• specify the contact you can expect from Child Safety and your foster and kinship care agency, such as the frequency and nature of this contact
• provide an opportunity to discuss concerns and challenges in caring for the child.

The placement agreement should be completed through a placement meeting that includes you, the Child Safety Officer and your foster and kinship care service support worker. The placement agreement is reviewed regularly, at a minimum of every 6 months. All foster and kinship carers should have a written copy of a placement agreement for every child in their care.

In non-emergency situations it can be completed prior to the child coming into your household for the first time. This may occur in a face-to-face meeting or by phone.