Strengthening Practice Committee Communiques

September 2024

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 3 September 2024.

The Committee discussed some changes to the Children and Young People Amendment Act 2023 which came into effect from 1 July 2024, in particular the legislative reform regarding Risk of Significant Harm (ROSH) and the revised definition and harm types. This includes the addition of family violence as a harm type and the concept of neglect which has a broader definition of safety and wellbeing: looking at the impact on the child or young person. The changes also include cumulative harm, with the legislation now referring to a single act or omission or an accumulation of acts over a period. These changes to reflect family violence and cumulative harm are particularly significant in the context of the last 18 months of case analysis data which indicated from 49 child protection case referrals involving 126 children and young people, family violence was the most frequent referral theme in 55% of cases and cumulative harm the most frequent harm type.

As Children, Youth and Families (CYF) shifts to a family services model, emphasising the delivery of early support to families, the Committee explored the practice implications of providing for a support response at initial assessment. This involves CYF practitioners engaging with families to provide an earlier response to safety, welfare or wellbeing concerns and moving away from a statutory child protection response unless necessary.

The Committee discussed the implementation of Signs of Safety in CYF. This practice approach has a focus on participation with families, children and young people and uses a collaborative mapping process which centres on family network meetings: bringing together a family’s natural supports for problem solving & safety. The important groundwork to prepare for implementation has commenced.

There was a presentation to the Committee about the Therapeutic Support Panel (TSP) which began operating in the first half of 2024. The TSP supports the raising of the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) by facilitating the application of trauma informed therapeutic responses based on a range of needs of children and young people. The TSP also has an important systemic role in monitoring the service system and identifying gaps in the provision of appropriate services. There are 10 Panel members with a range of skills, knowledge and experience and who oversee all referrals and therapy plans. The Committee is interested in changes to the CYF structure with the establishment of the Youth Justice and Adolescent Services Branch and the Intensive Adolescent Support Team and how their work will further support this cohort of young people.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in December 2024. 

June 2024

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 4 June 2024.

The Committee received an update on the reform work in Children, Youth and Families, which sees significant changes in structure, systems, frameworks and legislation (Stage 1 changes to the Children and Young People (CYP) Act 2008) to be implemented from 1 July 2024. This includes significant internal changes as well as reforms to the whole of the children, youth and family service system across the ACT. The changes to the CYP Act go a long way toward re-scoping child protection in the ACT and implementing family support approaches and shifting investment from child protection to family support teams.

The Committee discussed the importance of the Next Steps for Our Kids strategy, following a presentation, and its aim to build a stronger, fairer and more effective service system to support children, young people, their families and carers.The strategy will implement recommendations of Our Booris, Our Way and fully embed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle in legislation, policy, and practice. The Committee are keen to see greater collaboration across the service system once the new Children, Young People & Families Panel is established and see the potential for this collaboration to identify service gaps and overlaps in the system.

The Children, Youth and Families reform has a significant focus on improving practice and decision making. A new clinical framework will be in place to support for the decisions practitioners are making and drive the clinical changes needed to provide the case work practice, training and development. There are a number of tools being considered to support decision making and there is work being undertaken to ensure training to support for consistent application of the tools. The Committee look forward to discussing these developments further.

Finally, the Restoration Taskforce provided the Committee with an overview of their important work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in long term foster or kinship care. The Aboriginal-led Taskforce was established to holistically review the individual circumstances of children and young people and where able, restore children back to the care of a parent, family member or strengthen family connection opportunities. This is in line with 2 recommendations (12 & 28) from the Our Booris, Our Way Final Report: the importance of pathways to restoration, and family connection for each child currently subject to an order. All the work undertaken in the Taskforce uses the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principal and this framework underpins all decisions and recommendations.

March 2024

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 5 March 2024.

The Committee received a briefing on the first ACT Domestic and Family Violence Review Biennial Report 2023 which provides a snapshot of domestic and family violence (DFV) deaths between 2000 and 2022: this includes 134 DFV deaths, 106 confirmed and 28 suspected as DFV related, and an in-depth review of 12 DFV homicides. The Committee discussed the importance of the work being undertaken in Children, Youth and Families (CYF) to improve responses to DFV.

The Committee were presented with the latest Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) Case Analysis (CA) Report, a thematic analysis of 18 months of case data. The CA Team analyses cases at key decision-making points. 49 child protection case referrals were analysed involving 126 children and young people. Family violence was the most frequent referral theme in 55% of cases and cumulative harm the most frequently occurring harm type. Family violence was the most common emerging case theme in 67% of completed referrals. The increasing number of referrals to the CA Team seeking consolidated histories of family violence patterns indicates a trend of CYPS’ growing awareness of family violence and behaviours. The Committee were encouraged to see most CYPS staff are now trained in the Safe and Together model, which assists in identifying family violence patterns earlier and enables practice change for more effective work with families and perpetrators.

There was a discussion on The Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner’s advocacy and oversight roles: this includes oversight of child protection and youth justice matters. The priorities for the next 12-18 months were outlined, recognising the work culminating this year with the introduction of the ACT Child Safe Standards Scheme, changes to the Children and Young People Act 2008 and the reforms being undertaken by CYF. The Committee recognised the importance of the work of the Commissioner in oversighting the impact of these changes.

There was an update to the continuing reform work in CYF, with a discussion on proposed changes to improve the quality of assessment and decision making. The Committee discussed changes required from a practice perspective to facilitate more rigorous and informed information gathering, decision-making, monitoring and evaluation and what would need to be in place to support change. An important system change for families has been the introduction of a CYF First Nations Family Support Team. This team contributes to the achievement of recommendation 1 of the Our Boori's Our Way Final Report [PDF 1.5MB]: Allocation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s cases to experienced and culturally intelligent case workers.

March 2023

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 7 March 2023.

2 new independent members were welcomed to the Committee: Associate Professor Tim Moore (Deputy Director, Institute of Child Protection Studies) and Ms Lee-Anne Daley (Deputy CEO, Yerrabi Yurwang).

The Committee considered the Children, Youth and Families’ (CYF) program of reform, in response to recommendations from several internal and external reports and staff surveys. There is a focus on practice, decision making, governance and strengthening systems to enable good practice. The integrated program for reform, which will be implemented alongside other significant commitments including Next Steps for Our Kids and implementation of Our Booris, Our Way recommendations, is extensive and will be supported by the recently established Change and Reform Team. The Committee was encouraged by the extensive consultations undertaken with staff and commitment from the leadership team to the program of work and will continue to be briefed by CYF.

The Committee considered the annual report from the Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) Case Analysis team. The team undertakes independent analysis of individual cases or cohorts, identifies practice concerns or knowledge gaps and provides recommendations for practice development, training and systemic change. The annual report is presented to the Committee to provide them with an insight into practice and allows them to consider key themes and use their expertise and knowledge to discuss these areas. The 2022 report highlighted several key areas including the positive impact the ‘Safer Together Training’ has had on practice and the important move toward group supervision to assist workers in shared decision making to improve practice in complex cases and high-risk matters.

Finally, there was a discussion about how to make best use of Committee member’s expertise. The number of independent members has increased, and their skills and knowledge provide valuable insight and perspectives, including contemporary research and literature to support practice improvement. The Committee spoke about the benefit of hearing about programs and initiatives and then contributing with frank and open discussions. The Committee will play an important part in supporting the reform of child protection being undertaken by CYF by using the skills and expertise of its members to underpin the process.

June 2023

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 6 June 2023.

The Committee continued its discussion of the Children, Youth and Families’ (CYF) program of reform, receiving an update on the work undertaken since its last meeting. There are 3 main branches to the reform, these being quality practice and decision-making, systems enabling good practice, and healthy working environment. The Committee was interested in the family-led approach to the work and how services can be delivered differently to families. The Committee is encouraged by the transfer of theoretical knowledge and concepts to practice that is taking place across CYF and see this demonstrated in the significant program of reform being undertaken.

There have already been significant achievements made in building a more responsive, and evidence-based child protection system in the work being undertaken with Next Steps for Our Kids 2022–2030 (Next Steps for Our Kids) and the commencement of the review of the Children and Young People Act 2008 (CYP Act).

The CYP Act is one of the ACT's most complex pieces of legislation and the Committee was very interested to hear about the work being undertaken to modernise the Act to enable the necessary reforms to the child protection and family support system. This reform will align the CYP Act with Next Steps for Our Kids. It will also address recommendations from key reviews and reports about the ACT's child protection and family support system. One of the most significant changes will see the full implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle with its 5 elements – prevention, partnership, placement, participation and connection – into the Act and include these as ‘best interest’ considerations for decisions about children and young people.

There was an important discussion about the impact ‘Safer Together Training’ has had on practice within ACT child protection services. This foundational model of practice, and the move toward group supervision to assist workers in shared decision making, will improve practice in complex and high-risk matters and embed domestic and family violence informed practice across Child and Youth Protection Services.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in September 2023.

September 2023

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 5 September 2023 and was pleased to welcome Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith to the meeting.

The Committee has been reflecting over the last couple of meetings on the significant reform being undertaken in service delivery within Children, Youth and Families (CYF), including Next Steps for Our Kids [PDF 1MB] and the Review of the Children and Young People (CYP) Act 2008. There was an important discussion at this meeting on the role of the Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) Practice Leaders and their work in maintaining quality practice during this period of systemic change. The Practice Leaders have taken an active role in consultations with amendments to the CYP Act, particularly with how proposals align to practice. They have also been working collaboratively with the CYF Change and Reform team to draft a new practice framework and practice standards. The Committee members were encouraged to see this level of involvement and support, recognising good practice can often be overlooked in organisational change processes.

There was a discussion regarding the Next Steps procurement approach which is seeking service providers to deliver out of home care and support services for children, young people, and families in the ACT. The process has been designed to enable a flexible approach to the expansion of Aboriginal community controlled services over time. The tender will establish a panel of providers (Children, Young People and Families Panel) to deliver both statutory and non-statutory culturally safe services – including services for sustaining families, kinship care, foster care, after care and targeted supports (alternate care, supported contact and transport arrangements). The Committee discussed the changes required from a practice perspective and what will need to be in place to support this change in service delivery, noting the work being undertaken by the Practice Leaders.

Assoc. Prof. Tim Moore, a Committee member, and Emeritus Prof. Morag McArthur presented on their research: Exploring the safety of children and young people in government run organisations: A report for the Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings. This research heard from 59 children and young people in government-run organisations about what makes them feel safe (and unsafe) and discusses how systems and policies could improve and be more child- centred. The Committee discussed the significant findings from this work and their potential to influence the reform work being undertaken in CYF and the work to introduce a Child Safe Standards Scheme in the ACT.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in December 2023.

December 2023

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 5 December 2023.

There was an important discussion at this meeting on the continued work to reform Children, Youth and Families (CYF) in legislation, policy and practice with the timeframe for implementation of the new structure being 1 July 2024 when the Stage 1 amendments to the Children and Young People (CYP) Act 2008 take effect. The Committee members were encouraged to see the significant work being undertaken in implementing changes to the CYF structure to ensure a modern service that keeps children and young people at the centre, empowers families, and supports staff. There was a discussion of the new Practice Framework and Practice Standards, guided by Next Steps for Our Kids, to ensure clarity in vision and expectations for practice, to support staff.

Dr Susan Baidawi, a Committee member, presented findings from an Australian Institute of Criminology study: Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice focusing on children aged 10-13 years in the justice system. The Committee discussed the significant findings from this work and the implications for policy and practice, given the relationship with the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) work in the ACT: in November 2023, the ACT Government raised the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12 years and it will be 14 years by 2025.

The raising of the MACR means that children and youth, between the ages of 10 and 13 years at risk of, or who have displayed serious harmful behaviours to themselves or others will not be held criminally responsible for their behaviours nor will they attract a criminal justice response. Instead they will have access to trauma-informed, intensive therapeutic services. There was a presentation to the Committee about the Therapeutic Support Panel (TSP) which will support the raising of the MACR and facilitate the application of the types of therapeutic responses based on a range of needs of children and young people. The TSP will be in place in the ACT by March 2024.

Ms Alison Trewhella, Director of Practice Development and Training, CYF, presented her Churchill Fellowship project: To explore recruitment strategies that can increase workforce stability in child protection This project examined characteristics of agencies with high retention rates and considered any link with recruitment practices. The Committee discussed the significant findings from this work and the potential to influence recruitment within CYF to improve retention rates of qualified and skilled workers undertaking statutory child protection work.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in March 2024.

March 2022

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 7 March 2022.

3 new independent members were welcomed to the Committee: Dr Susan Baidawi (Senior Lecturer, Social Work Department, Monash University), Professor Daryl Higgins (Director, Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University) and Ms Jodie Griffiths-Cook (Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner, ACT Human Rights Commission).

The meeting was focused on providing key context for the work of the Committee including the reforms within the Community Services Directorate and the priorities for Children, Youth and Families, to assist in understanding the wider systemic changes and reforms particularly relevant to the Committee.

There was a presentation and discussion about the drafting of the next phase of A Step Up for Our Kids. The data and evidence from multiple reviews, reports, and consultation with key groups, including this Committee, have been brought together to inform the next stage of reform and way forward. The Committee have a keen interest in the strategy and understanding how Next Steps for Our Kids 2022-2030 will continue to improve outcomes for vulnerable and at risk children and young people. The Next Steps Strategy will be released following Government consideration and approval and the Committee will continue to be briefed on progress as implementation commences.

At the Committee meeting in November 2021 there was a discussion about the challenges for the child protection system in managing domestic and family violence. An overview was provided at this meeting of the draft ACT Domestic and Family Violence Risk Assessment and Management Framework, developed by the Office of the Coordinator-General for Family Safety in partnership with a working group of key domestic and family violence services in the ACT.

The Framework outlines a shared understanding of the nature of domestic and family violence and establishes a common approach to screening, assessing and managing domestic and family violence risk. This will enable a more confident, consistent and effective response across the broad service system. The final Framework is due for release in the near future and the Committee will seek continued updates of the work being undertaken to bring about organisational and practice change in this area of work.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in June 2022.

June 2022

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 7 June 2022.

The Committee discussed the findings of a recent national study, Trends and needs in the Australian child welfare workforce: An exploratory study, published by ACU’s Institute of Child Protection Studies. The report presents findings from an exploratory study that examined broad-ranging, publicly available data to investigate emerging trends, issues and needs in the child welfare workforce and the educational profile of the workforce.

The Committee considered the findings in relation to the ACT against the backdrop of a growing demand for child welfare services and a reform agenda targeting earlier support for families. The Committee comprises members with significant practice and research experience of the child protection system and engaged in an active discussion of the study and its implications. There are a number of projects currently underway in the ACT that the Committee will be watching closely, in particular Next Steps for Our Kids which has an ambitious agenda to deliver more widely available services and earlier supports to families in need.

The latest iteration of the Internal Review of Child Protection Decisions was presented to the Committee at this meeting. There has been significant work undertaken and a proposed model is ready to be piloted with a ‘try, test and learn’ implementation process during the second half of 2022. Feedback will be sought throughout from affected parties and Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) staff regarding implementation and impact. The Committee has been consulted on numerous occasions and this latest iteration of the model reflects the benefit gained from the sharing of the Committee’s experience and knowledge. The Committee will continue to be active in discussions as the pilot progresses.

The Committee was briefed on a program of practice development being undertaken in CYPS to support the implementation and readiness for an internal review process. This work aims to improve decision making practices, with the new decision-making model ensuring records of decisions are consistently recorded, and the rationale for the decision or information relied upon, is clearly referenced. The Committee was encouraged by the extensive consultations undertaken with staff to ensure appropriate support is provided given the current demands of the work, the potential increase in requests for reviews, and the impact on practice.

Finally, the Committee discussed the work being undertaken to establish an external review mechanism. There have been many discussions and consultations to date to inform the model of external merits review of child protection decision-making in the ACT and how it will work with internal review processes and the administrative arrangements. The Committee were pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the proposals being considered and ask questions of those designing the model. The Committee will seek further opportunities to discuss the process as the work progresses.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in September 2022.

September 2022

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 6 September 2022 and was pleased to welcome Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith to the meeting.

The Committee received an update on the work in progressing Next Steps for Our Kids 2022-2030 (PDF 1.1MB) which was launched by Minister Stephen-Smith in June 2022. The focus of the strategy is on children, young people and families who are: at risk of entering statutory systems, including youth justice & out of home care; involved with the child protection, youth justice and/or out of home care systems; and transitioning from or within the out of home care and/or youth justice systems.

The Committee will remain informed as implementation progresses and provide feedback on reform activities to ensure practice aligns to improve outcomes for vulnerable and at-risk children and young people.

The Committee has had numerous briefings on the Internal Review of Decisions, now in its pilot phase and on the External Merits Review process, in final stages of development. At this meeting there was a discussion on the alignment of the two processes and the workforce impacts of implementation. The Committee discussed the focus on strengthening decision making and practice readiness for the new processes and provided input on what might be useful, from a skill development perspective, to support better practice in decision making.

Dr Susan Baidawi, a committee member, presented on her research examining the characteristics of children who cross over between child protection and youth justice systems. This work considers the key child protection challenges to preventing criminalisation of this group of children and young people and policy or practice approaches that can be adopted to strengthen systems integration. This research can be accessed here Cross-over kids: Effective responses to children and young people in the youth justice and statutory Child Protection systems

The Committee considered the single case management framework in use the ACT and the practice challenges and strengths of working with children and young people who crossover both systems. There was discussion regarding the various approaches being adopted in the ACT to meet the challenges, noting the children and young people most at risk are the focus of the Next Steps for our Kids strategy.

May 2021

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 4 May 2021 and was pleased to welcome Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith to the meeting.

The Committee received an update of the Re-Imagining Child Safety project. The project is considering ways to reimagine child safety and its intersections with child protection and seeking opportunities to provide early support to meet the needs of families.

There have been ongoing interviews with mandated reporters in education and health, to listen to their experiences and their differing capacities for understanding risk. There are some emerging opportunities for change identified, including:

• Defining a new meaningful threshold for concern reporting that differentiates between the need for protection and the need for support, and
• Strengthening partnerships for shared assessment of risk and shared monitoring of risk.

The Committee is particularly interested in the impact this project will have on practice across the broader service system and engagement with children, young people and families and will continue to receive updates as work continues.

The Committee has been actively involved in considering the development of an internal model for the review of child protection decisions. The Committee were presented with the latest iteration of policy and practice documents. There was a discussion about the need to ensure those affected by decisions are actively informed about the possibility of a review and the provision of factsheets to support affected persons and advocates understand the internal review of decision process.

With the development of the next iteration of A Step Up for Our Kids Out of Home Care Strategy underway, the Committee had a discussion about permanency, placement stability and attachment. This discussion also considered the need to accurately interpret and apply the SNAICC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle and gain a cultural understanding of attachment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in August 2021.

November 2021

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 10 November 2021

The Committee considered the latest report from the Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) Case Analysis team. The team was established in 2016 to provide for the development and delivery of quality assurance through independent case analysis. The Case Analysis Team has three key objectives: the independent analysis of individual cases at key decision-making points; the identification of practice concerns, knowledge gaps and examples of good practice; and to improve the research, risk assessment and analytical skills of the case analysis team members. In December 2020, the Case Analysis Team was restructured into the CYPS Practice Development and Training Division. This provides for closer collaboration between the Case Analysis Team, Practice Leaders and Training officers to identify and address gaps in the professional development needs of staff. The Committee noted the impact this initiative is having on practice.

The Committee discussed the recommendations from the Coronial Inquest into the death of Bradyn Dillon and the ACT Government Response to the Coroner’s Report. The report included a total of 17 recommendations in the areas of child protection (10 recommendations); education (three recommendations); and information sharing (four recommendations). The ACT Government agrees with the intent of all recommendations, which will inform the ongoing reform agenda and assist in continuing to improve how CYPS responds to domestic and family violence in the ACT and delivers services to support children and young people in the child protection system. As domestic and family violence can be one of the most difficult and complicated issues for child protection staff to manage, CYPS has commenced rolling out the Safe and Together training delivered by the Safe and Together Institute. The Institute is also guiding CYPS through an organisational assessment. Without strong domestic violence informed policy, practice support and standards of collaboration these cases will continue to challenge the system and reduce positive outcomes for families.

The Committee looks forward to continued updates on the implementation of recommendations and also the outcome of the organisational assessment, identifying areas to be addressed for domestic violence informed organisational change.

Finally, the Committee farewelled an inaugural member, Dr Tony Kemp. Dr Kemp has attended all 20 Committee meetings since the first in 2016. Dr Kemp has been an active member of the Committee, sharing his wisdom and knowledge, and he has significantly contributed to improving and strengthening practice within the Directorate.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in March 2022.

March 2020

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 3 March 2020.

The Committee recently reviewed its Terms of Reference and its work plan and considered its work over the last 12 months. In this time the Committee has:

• considered a range of Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) data and current research;
• established regular contact with CYPS practice leaders to understand current policy and practice issues and to identify where a focus on quality improvement would provide the greatest value;
• been kept up to date with the Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people known to CYPS, and been focused on the response from CYPS to the recommendations of this Review;
• considered the implementation of key reforms including A Step Up for Our Kids;
• sought information from other jurisdictions to test thinking in relation to ACT initiatives;
• provided oversight and policy and practice input in relation to adverse events;
• considered mechanisms in place to support evidence-informed and consistent decision-making by CYPS practitioners; and
• overseen a literature review in the area of decision making in child protection to inform practice.

Going forward the Committee is keen to increase its focus on practice through the use of evidence and importantly, build in more opportunities for frontline engagement to learn about the challenges facing practitioners and to strengthen the impact of the Committee on practice and decision making. To reflect the next phase of its work the Committee has been renamed the Strengthening Practice Committee and will also increase its membership in 2020 to include additional perspectives and knowledge.

The Committee agreed to focus future meetings on a number of key thematic discussions. The discussion topics would arise from the case analysis team findings and the Committee’s identification of other priority and practice areas.

September 2020

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 1 September 2020.

At its meeting in March 2020 the Committee had agreed that for the foreseeable future its focus would remain on the front end of the child protection system. In this context members discussed an ambitious five year reform roadmap with a continuum of care, universal services and early support as essential elements in the safety of children, and the child and youth protection service (CYPS) system as a part of the continuum.

In June 2020 the Committee invited a broad range of stakeholders to workshop what might be needed to develop and implement innovations to reform the child protection system, within the human services continuum. This workshop was a facilitated discussion with a range of representatives from across government including: the Community Services Directorate, Family Safety Hub, ACT Education, ACT Police and Canberra Health Service. The aim of the workshop was to share different perspectives in order to identify opportunities for systemic reform, to improve the experiences and outcomes for vulnerable children at risk of entering the child protection system and their families. It is hoped, through further discussions across Directorates, to re-imagine the service system continuum for improved child safety service responses and outcomes.

At its recent meeting the Committee continued this discussion, hearing from Strategic Policy who are progressing this work as part of a cross-Directorate project. They will have a particular focus on improving engagement with and responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

The Strengthening Practice Committee will continue as a key stakeholder in this important work. The Committee recognises that the service system context is broader than statutory services, however importantly, their focus is on strengthening practice within CYPS.

The Committee discussed the impact of COVID-19 on practice within CYPS. There have been many challenges requiring staff to think and work differently. This has included changes to the way staff are working with children and families and also work colleagues. A key focus has been thinking about ways to support staff, ensure supervision and maintain morale within this changed work environment, whilst keeping everyone safe. The Committee looks forward to considering the research that is emerging about the impact of COVID-19 on children’s safety and to considering the data from the last six months that will provide a further dimension to the discussion of the impact on all those working with children, young people and families during this period.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in December 2020

December 2020

The Strengthening Practice Committee met on 1 December 2020.

At its meeting the Committee received an update from the Strategic Policy area of the Community Services Directorate on their initial 3 month project aimed at gaining a better understanding of mandatory reporting in the ACT. The overall aim of the project is to consider ways to reimagine child safety and its intersections with child protection, in search of opportunities to provide early support to meet the needs of families. This work recognises the service system context is broader than the statutory services of child protection and highlights the importance of all services working together.

The first stage of this work involves workshops and consultations, with early insights of the views and practices of stakeholders being critical for future work. The Strengthening Practice Committee is a key stakeholder in this work and will receive regular updates and provide input at key decision points.

The Committee also received an update on the development of an internal model for the review of child protection decisions. This work emerged from the 2016 Glanfield Review and has subsequently been through a consultation and submission process. Now in its final stages, a model is emerging that aims to strengthen Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) decision making, establish an internal merits review process, follow a clear escalation process, is accessible to complainants and aligns with best interests’ legislation. The Committee has remained involved in this process and looks forward to seeing the final model implemented.

The Committee considered research that has emerged from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice on workforce attitudes to domestic and family violence. The Department will use this to inform assessment approaches in its work and it will be carefully considered for its applicability in the ACT.

Finally, the Committee considered its workplan for 2021. In addition to ongoing involvement in the work with mandatory reporters, early support for families and practice implications within CYPS, there will be further consideration of the impact of COVID-19 on practice within CYPS, a focus on youth justice and the work to develop more trauma informed and therapeutic models for working with young people, particularly within Bimberi, and finally a focus on the next iteration of a Step Up for Our Kids.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in March 2021.

March 2019

The CYPQAI Committee held its recent meeting on Tuesday 5 March 2019.

The Committee received an update in relation to Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people involved with ACT Child and Youth Protection Services. The Our Booris, Our Way Steering Committee provided a further five recommendations to the Minister in December 2018, in addition to those in their Interim Report. The Committee discussed these and any early indicators of progress in respect of all nine recommendations. The Committee was also updated on the current work of the Review team which has commenced the case review of the third cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people: children and young people residing in a placement managed by ACT Together. The final report to government is expected in late 2019. The Committee will continue to receive briefings about this important work and the progress being made against the recommendations, particularly in relation to systemic change and reform.

The Committee considered the second yearly update from the Child and Youth Protection Services Case Analysis team. The team was established in response to a Glanfield Inquiry recommendation for the development and delivery of quality assurance through independent case analysis. The case analysis objectives include: the provision of independent analysis of individual cases at key decision making points; the identification of practice concerns, knowledge gaps and examples of good practice; and to improve the research, risk assessment and analytical skills of the case analysis team members. The Committee noted the impact this initiative is having on practice, decision making and case direction and discussed opportunities to strengthen their work in supporting quality practice.

The Justice & Community Safety Directorate provided information regarding their recent public consultation for the establishment of a Family Violence Death Review scheme in the ACT. They had sought written submissions on possible models and an information sharing framework. The Committee was provided with a broad overview of the information arising from the consultation, in particular about the proposed intersection between the Family Violence Death Review scheme and the Children & Young People Death Review Committee. The Committee will be provided with future updates through the Family Safety Hub, as the work progresses.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in June 2019.

June 2019

The Child and Youth Protection Quality Assurance and Improvement (CYPQAI) Committee met on Thursday 13 June 2019.

The Committee received an update on the Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people involved with ACT Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS), including the most recent Steering Committee recommendations to the Minister. These practice-focused recommendations resonate strongly with the work of the CYPQAI Committee, with its emphasis on strengthening the quality of child protection policy and practice.

The Committee received a progress briefing from Children, Youth and Families on the implementation of the first tranche of Review recommendations CYPS have created several designated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander positions to support and embed the changes necessary to ensure cultural capability, to identify opportunities for improvements in practice and policy, to assist with embedding the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Placement Principles into practice and to contribute to the implementation of other recommendations relevant to the Our Booris, Our Way Review. These dedicated positions are in training and policy areas, and also include a practice leader.

The Committee continues to discuss the impact of the Review on practice, decision making and engagement with children, young people and families and will continue to receive briefings about the Review and monitor the outcomes and system improvements arising from the recommendations.

The Committee is also interested in the broader impact the Review is having on other reforms, including A Step Up for Our Kids, and considered the outcomes from a recent A Step Up for Our Kids evaluation. The Committee was particularly interested to note the findings in relation to cultural plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children - a key focus area for the Our Booris, Our Way Review.

The Committee received an update on the new client management system currently under construction for CYPS. The system will support staff in their case management of families and support professional judgement and timely decision making. The system enhancements will provide workers with significant information up front, which should enable better quality assessments, including in relation to cumulative harm. The Committee reinforced the importance of ongoing analysis of available information for quality decision making.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in September 2019.

December 2019

The Strengthening Practice Committee (formerly the CYPQAI Committee) met on 3 December 2019.

The Committee recently reviewed its Terms of Reference and its work plan and considered its work over the last 12 months. In this time the Committee has:

• considered a range of Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) data and current research;
• established regular contact with CYPS practice leaders to understand current policy and practice issues and to identify where a focus on quality improvement would provide the greatest value;
• been kept up to date with the Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people known to CYPS, and been focused on the response from CYPS to the recommendations of this Review;
• considered the implementation of key reforms including A Step Up for Our Kids;
• sought information from other jurisdictions to test thinking in relation to ACT initiatives;
• provided oversight and policy and practice input in relation to adverse events;
• considered mechanisms in place to support evidence-informed and consistent decision-making by CYPS practitioners; and
• overseen a literature review in the area of decision making in child protection to inform practice.

Going forward the Committee is keen to increase its focus on practice through the use of evidence and importantly, build in more opportunities for frontline engagement to learn about the challenges facing practitioners and to strengthen the impact of the Committee on practice and decision making. To reflect the next phase of its work the Committee has been renamed the Strengthening Practice Committee and will also increase its membership in 2020 to include additional perspectives and knowledge.

The Committee agreed to focus future meetings on a number of key thematic discussions. The discussion topics would arise from the case analysis team findings and the Committee’s identification of other priority and practice areas.

At its last meeting for the year the Committee received an update on the Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people involved with ACT Child and Youth Protection Services. The Review provides its final report to the Minister on 17 December 2019. This has been a significant piece of work which has already influenced changes in policy and practice within CYPS. The Committee will continue to receive briefings as the Review moves into the implementation phase in 2020.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in March 2020.

March 2018

The CYPQAI Committee held its seventh meeting on Tuesday 13 March 2018.

The Committee received an update in relation to Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children and young people involved with ACT Child and Youth Protection Services. The Our Booris, Our Way Steering Committee has finalised the Terms of Reference for the Review and these were noted by the Committee. The Committee was updated on the current work of the Review as it enters the case review stage. The Committee awaits the early indicators for policy and practice as they emerge from the Review.

The Committee received a briefing about the Family Safety Hub from the Coordinator-General for Family Safety. The Family Safety Hub was funded by the ACT Government to provide an effective response to domestic and family violence in the ACT. Following extensive collaboration and co-design, the Family Safety Hub will be implemented this year.

The Committee considered baseline information for A Step Up for Our Kids (Out of Home Care Strategy 2015-2020) as part of its role to monitor the implementation of key reforms. Whilst too early to consider the overall impact on the ACT care system, considering the early implementation allows a comparison point for future evaluations. The Committee looks forward to seeing continued positive results as the system matures, in particular in the area of prevention.

The Committee continues to have a strong focus on policy and practice and the work undertaken to date has enabled it to begin to identify opportunities to improve outcomes for children and their families. As a next step the Committee will be overseeing a literature review in the area of decision making in child protection. This will assist the Committee to provide evidence informed perspectives to support the continued efforts within the care and protection system in this area.

Next meeting - The Committee will next meet in June 2018.

June 2018

The CYPQAI Committee held its eighth meeting on Thursday 14 June 2018.

The Committee welcomed Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith to the meeting. The Minister advised the Committee that funding was approved for a further two years in the recent ACT Budget, to ensure continued independent oversight and quality assurance of the child protection system by the Committee. She noted that the work of the Committee ensures ongoing improvement in the system and the independent perspectives from those members outside of the ACT provide an important perspective, particularly testing the thinking in relation to local initiatives.

The Committee received an update in relation to Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people involved with ACT Child and Youth Protection Services. The Review team has commenced the comprehensive case reviews of approximately 350 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people; with the first of two reports to government due later in the year.

The Committee received a briefing from the Chair of the Domestic Violence Prevention Council about their work. The Council recently held an extraordinary meeting (4 April 2018) to focus on the needs of children affected by family and domestic violence, including sexual violence. The meeting was attended by a wide range of participants who provided input about current work being undertaken and the measures that might improve supports for children. The Coordinator-General, Family Safety, a member of the CYPQAI Committee was present at the meeting.

The Committee heard about the group supervision approach being adopted by NSW Family & Community Services for frontline child protection staff. The group supervision approach is based on the case consult model from Minnesota and assists workers articulate concerns and to be supported and receive learning from their peers – with all significant discussions and decisions about children and adolescents made in teams.

The Committee considered the key themes emerging from the literature review being undertaken to inform their work, focused on decision making in child protection. This work will continue by considering decision making at key decision points, for example, in the practice context of taking emergency action.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in September 2018.

September 2018

The CYPQAI Committee held its ninth meeting on Thursday 6 September 2018.

This meeting fell during National Child Protection Week and Mr Tony Kemp, a member of the CYPQAI Committee, spoke at an event hosted by Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) to highlight the important and challenging work with vulnerable children and young people undertaken in the ACT.

Mr Kemp is a senior practitioner with over 20 years' experience working in children and youth services and spoke about practice and what makes a difference in working with children and families.

The Committee received an update in relation to Our Booris, Our Way: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people involved with the care and protection system. The Our Booris, Our Way Interim Report was released on 31 August 2018 and has made four early recommendations. The review team has commenced the case review of the second cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people: children and young people subject to short term orders as well as supervision orders and voluntary care agreements. The Interim Report is available on the strong families website.

The Committee heard from the Leading Practice Group about efforts to build the capability of staff within CYPS in order to improve outcomes for children, young people and families and to support staff recruitment and retention. The Leading Practice Group was established within CYPS as an internal mechanism intended to strengthen the quality of child protection and youth justice practice in the ACT. It provides opportunities for staff to develop their skills and knowledge, whilst also identifying practice trends and areas where professional development is required.

The Committee considered the literature review on decision making in child protection that has been completed as part of its work plan. This comprehensive review will inform discussions within CYPS to consider any implications for decision making and practice, particularly mechanisms in place to strengthen and support decision making.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in December 2018.

December 2018

The CYPQAI Committee held its tenth meeting on Tuesday 4 December 2018.

The Committee received a briefing about the Early Support by Design initiative – a commitment by the ACT Government to a ten year plan of work to reform the human services system and better focus on early support and wellbeing. This initiative is being led by the Community Services Directorate, on behalf of the Human Services Cluster (Health, Education, Justice and Community Safety and Community Services Directorates). This approach acknowledges that no single directorate alone can improve life outcomes for Canberra’s most vulnerable. The long-term objective is to improve life outcomes in three priority areas: vulnerable children and their families, with a focus on early childhood; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children; and families who have experienced domestic and family violence. Implementation will commence in July 2019 across government and non-government services. A key outcome of the ten year plan will be shifting ACT human services to a commissioning for outcomes environment. Monitoring the implementation of key reforms is one of the areas of focus for the CYPQAI Committee and they will continue to be briefed on the progress of the initiative and will contribute as relevant.

The Committee heard about the Family Group Conference (FGC) Pilot which commenced in November 2017. FGC specifically focusses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families at risk of involvement with statutory services in the ACT - a particular focus for the CYPQAI Committee. The pilot provides an opportunity to work differently with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and to work towards reducing the overrepresentation of such families involved with the child protection system. Feedback from participating families will be used to help refine the FGC model to ensure it meets the needs of ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families. FGC provides families with an opportunity to come together in a supported and structured environment to take part in decision making for their family and to plan to move forward to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their children. The pilot has demonstrated that the approach can reduce the involvement of care and protection services and minimise the number of children entering care.

The Committee received copies of the newly released publication, Stepping Up for Our Kids: Real Stories of Keeping Children and Young People Strong, Safe and Connected. The publication showcases the work of Children, Youth and Families’ staff and community partners – including ACT Together, Uniting Children and Families ACT, CREATE Foundation, Australian Red Cross and Carers ACT – in achieving positive outcomes for children and young people in the ACT community. The CYPQAI Committee, with its aim of strengthening the quality of child protection policy and practice in the ACT, is pleased to see good practice and outcomes highlighted. The publication is available at Best Practice Publication.

Next Meeting: The Committee will next meet in March 2019.

April 2017

At its third meeting on Friday 7 April 2017, the Child and Youth Protection Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee (CYPQAI) continued its work towards improving practice and outcomes for children and young people.

The Committee endorsed the Terms of Reference that will guide the committee’s actions as it considers further issues relating to child and youth protection.

It has also undertaken to investigate the process of expanding the membership of the committee to include representation from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Ahead of the meeting, Committee experts met with practice leaders in an exercise of collaboration and engagement. This will be an ongoing arrangement to ensure cross-fertilisation from system and practice perspectives.

Forward Planning

The Committee agreed on the priorities for the work agenda ensuring that the Committee makes an optimal contribution to the environment where decisions about the care and protection of child and young people are made.

A key priority is an examination of the factors that exist as challenges for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, their families and the community who are over-represented in the child protection system.

Supporting the workforce supporting vulnerable children

The Committee considered plans to support and grow the child protection workforce. It included mechanisms that will seek to develop a supported, capable and culturally competent professional sector.

Child and Youth Protection Services is taking steps to improve its transparency and accountability. The Committee received a report on these activities to inform its work as it considers the broader issues relating to children and young people.

Next meeting

The next meeting will be held in June 2017 where the Committee expects to conduct an in-depth examination.

July 2017

At its fourth meeting on Tuesday 4 July 2017, the Child and Youth Protection Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee (CYPQAI) maintained its focus on contributing to the quality of child protection policy and practice in the ACT.

The Committee reviewed the proposal for the Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People involved with Child and Youth Protection Services and in Out of Home Care in the ACT. The review will be functionally independent of Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) and will be guided by the Child Placement Principles.

Committee experts again met with practice leaders prior to the meeting, gaining valuable insight into practice perspectives and allowing for these to be included in overall discussions.

Forward Planning

The Committee approved the work plan in principle and agreed to prioritise the item relating to oversight of critical or adverse events. The Committee will review the management of previous events, including some case examples. This will enable the Committee to assist with defining thresholds used to classify such events and to contribute to the development of a pro-active early intervention strategy to assist Child and Youth Protection Services when managing these events.

The Committee agreed that its role in the review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People involved with CYPS will be one of active engagement. The Committee will work alongside the reviewers undertaking critical analysis of the circumstances, case plans and responses to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families.

Supporting the workforce supporting vulnerable children

The Committee received detail of the measures currently collected by CYPS on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people engaged with the ACT Child Protection System. The Committee agreed to engage with CYPS staff around potential performance measures of improved outcomes for these children.

Next meeting

The next meeting will be held in October 2017 where the Committee expects to consider the design and methodology development work that has been undertaken for the review into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people engaged with Care and Protection Services.

October 2017

At its fifth meeting on Thursday 5 October 2017, the Child and Youth Protection Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee (CYPQAI) continued a focus on practice issues in child protection and the provision of advice to the Director-General.

Taking action

The Committee agreed that it has an important role in the development and ongoing implementation of the Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People involved with Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS). It will provide advice to the Director-General on the implications for the implementation of Review findings, as they emerge and they affect quality service provision by CYPS. Direct oversight of the Review will be provided by the Review Steering Committee that will include representatives of identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and elected bodies.

The Committee noted that effective decision-making is a core skill for practitioners working with families in the child protection system. Mechanisms supporting evidence-informed and consistent decision-making were considered by the Committee. Some members of the CYPQAI met with Practice Leaders prior to the formal meeting. Themes that emerged from this meeting informed the future work plan.

The Committee also considered the experience of child and youth protection workers and acknowledged the complexity of supporting families in crisis. It will seek to engage further in relation to staff experiences.

The Committee also provided advice on improvements to the CYPS adverse event policy.

Finally, the Committee considered the CSD responses to recommendations from inquiries, such as the Glanfield Review, and internal reviews and case analysis. It was agreed that good progress is being made on the implementation of the key learnings. Findings centred on mandated reporting and the efficacy of the report-back process; and the identification of opportunities to engage with other stakeholders in the Territory on child protection issues.

Next meeting

The next meeting will be held in December 2017 where the Committee expects to consider workforce support and retention strategies.

December 2017

The CYPQAI Committee held its sixth meeting on Tuesday 12 December 2017.

The Committee welcomed Associate Professor Dea Delaney-Thiele to her first meeting. Dea is a proud Dunghutti, Kamilaroi and Yuin woman who has worked in Aboriginal health for 27 years at local, state and national levels. Dea is currently the Executive Director Services NSW/ACT with OzChild and will bring cultural insight and expertise to the work of the Committee.

Members of the Committee met with the Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) Cultural Services team prior to the formal meeting. Themes that emerged included early intervention, information sharing with CYPS case managers, and the use of family group conferencing. The need to continually invest in cultural competency for staff was highlighted and the Committee will continue to work with CYPS to consider ways to increase the cultural competence of the workforce.

The Committee met with the Senior Clinical Leader for an update of the Review into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people known to ACT CYPS. The Review is independent of CYPS with direct oversight provided by the Review Steering Committee which comprises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Committee looks forward to the Review findings as they emerge and to considering the policy and practice implications.

The Committee received a report from the CYPS Case Analysis team. The team was established in response to a Glanfield Inquiry recommendation for the development and delivery of quality assurance through independent case analysis. The report provided key information from an analysis of 25 cases (38 children) over 12 months, identifying key themes, demographics, primary risk factors and characteristics, practice strengths and areas for further training and development. The team plans to evaluate the impact case analysis has had on the case direction for these cases in 2018. The Committee looks forward to considering how this quality assurance strategy has enhanced practice and improved decision making.

The draft CYPS Response to Adverse Events procedure was again considered by the Committee and a decision made to expand the definition. The procedure is complemented by proactive activity aimed at minimising risks and quality assuring the work of responding to concerns.

The Committee noted the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory final report and the work underway in the ACT to review policies and practice in relation to report recommendations which are relevant to the ACT.

The Committee continues to have a strong focus on policy and practice and looks forward to continuing to progress its work plan and identify opportunities to lend its expertise.

Next meeting - The Committee will next meet in March 2018.

December 2016

The Child and Youth Protection Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee (the Committee) is an independent advisory forum established to strengthen the quality of child protection policy and practice in the ACT and to foster ongoing improvement of the child protection system. Membership of the Committee includes government leaders and sector experts.

On Thursday 1 December 2016, the Committee held its second meeting. At the meeting, the Committee agreed that a quality outcomes approach to the systemic review of Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) will be critical in ensuring better outcomes for children and young people.

Forward planning

The Committee considered the forward audit plan for CYPS. It was agreed that a corresponding Committee work plan will be developed.

It was agreed that the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth in the ACT child and youth protection system is unacceptable and that these children and young people will form a particular focus of the work of the Committee. Further consideration will be given to how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are supported by the system compared to the wider population.

Child concern notifications

Child Concern Reports are at the highest-ever levels experienced by CYPS. The Committee received advice about the possible causes and potential solutions to high volumes of reports, including high levels of repeat reports. The Committee acknowledged the importance of community vigilance, with around half of all reports comprising voluntary reports, however recognised that the volume of reports places immense strain on the system.

The Committee will continue to monitor the mechanisms adopted for managing high report volumes. Community Services Directorate

Environmental scans

As part of its focus on quality improvements, the Committee will seek evidence on the wider child protection system from other jurisdictions. The Committee will particularly focus on whether "best practice" approaches in other jurisdictions could be applied in the ACT.

Committee members agreed that progress implementing recommendations from a number of reviews and audits of CYPS is promising, and agreed to continue to monitor the implementation of those recommendations.

Next meeting

The next meeting will be held in April 2017, when the Committee expects to be in a position to consider the progress of the work plan.