The new model addresses findings of the Nyland Royal Commission that identified opportunities for improvement with the care concern process, and incorporates feedback received from staff, carers and the broader sector. We would like to thank Child and Family Focus SA and Connecting Foster and Kinship Carers SA who have worked closely with us to provide valuable input on behalf of carers and service providers.

The new model introduces a range of improvements by:

• listening to the voice of the child or young person
• engaging  all stakeholders including case managers, carers and service providers early in the response process
• progressing care concerns faster
• embedding greater procedural fairness in the way care concerns are managed
• increasing transparency and consistency.

Service providers will participate as key stakeholders early in the response process, allowing them to work in close partnership with the department to ensure more timely, coordinated and appropriate responses to care concerns.

Next steps

The new model was endorsed in late 2019, and implementation is now underway.  We have started to engage with department staff through a series of planned site visits to help the field apply the new model in practice.

We are developing internal training resources, procedural documents and templates to support staff. Additional work is in progress to develop resources for both carers and service providers that will outline the care concern process in more detail.

What is a care concern?

Most children and young people in the child protection system receive good quality care from dedicated carers and staff who have made a commitment to make a positive difference in their lives. From time-to-time, concerns are raised about a child’s safety, stability or development within their placement – this is called a care concern. Allegations may relate to anyone involved in the child’s care, including department staff, volunteers, non-government employees or a carer.