Practice Tools Policy

Decision Response

On receipt of a notification, the receiving social worker must apply the Decision Response tool to make decisions about the appropriate response and timeframe. If the notification was received at the Contact Centre, the site will reapply the Decision Response tool to confirm the response and timeframe. The rationale for each decision must be recorded in CYRAS. See the Decision Response Guidelines for more information.

When there are concerns regarding self harm or suicidal ideation, you must refer to the Key Information: Pathway Decision Making when Suicide/Self Harm is Part of the Concern.

Safety Assessment 

Each child or young person who has been referred for further CYF response (as a result of the application of the Decision Response tool) must receive an assessment of their safety (using the Safety Assessment tool) within the identified 'urgency of response' timeframe (24 hours, 48 hours, 7 days or 28 days).

Engagement with the child or young person and their family will occur as part of completing the safety assessment. This needs to include engagement with any children under the age of five years, and any child or young person for whom the notifier identifies particular or specific concern (the notified child or young person).

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Child and Family Consult/Young Person and Family Consult

A Child and Family Consult or Young Person and Family Consult must be undertaken when the Safety Assessment tool identifies that further assessment (either Child and Family Assessment or investigation) is required (excludes PR, RTS and NFA responses).

The Consult tool must also be used:

• during the completion of the investigation or child and family assessment to inform the assessment decision
• when removal from, or return home is considered
• as the framework for the professionals meeting held prior to a child or young person in the custody of the CE returning home
• as the framework for the professionals meeting held within four weeks of a child or young person in the custody of the CE returning home
• for all child offenders and all young people who offend and who have had active care and protection intervention in the last three months.

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Family Strengths and Risks Assessment

The Family Strengths and Risks Assessment (FS&RA) is to be used on all cases that proceed past the Safety Assessment.

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Genogram 

A genogram must be created for every child or young person when a family group conference is required.

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Screening and assessment with under 12 year olds and children or young people with intellectual disability

The screening tools are designed for use with children and young people aged 12 years and over. If you have a concern regarding suicide or alarming behaviour for a child under 12 years or a child or young person with an intellectual disability, you must consult with a Towards Wellbeing (TWB) advisor before using the tools. You will need to consider if the tools will provide you with the type of information you are seeking or if a more age appropriate specialist assessment is required.

All children aged 10 and 11 years who are referred to a youth justice coordinator for their offending under section 14(1)(e) will be allocated a social worker who will assess the child's risks, strengths and needs prior to the family group conference using the Child and Family Assessment (CFA) process.

Key information - Undertaking a good child and family assessment

Key information - Assessment Triangle 

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Screening and assessment with children and young people 12 years and older

The practice tools for children and young people 12 years and older include:

• The Substance Abuse and Choices Scale (SACS) and/or Cage
• The Kessler and Suicide Screens
• The Suicide Risk Assessment
• The TRAX and/or Wellbeing Assessment

When the tools are completed with children and young people aged 12-14, the outcomes must be discussed with a Towards Wellbeing Advisor.

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Screening for suicide, psychological distress and substance abuse

It is critical that we look for, recognise and act on signals that a child or young person may be at risk of self harm, suicide, alcohol or drug abuse or psychological distress. The following screens will be used by Child, Youth and Family staff trained in their use:

• Kessler and Suicide Screens - to screen for psychological distress and suicide
• Substance and Choices Scale or Cage - to screen for substance abuse

These screens must be applied whenever mental health, suicide, and/or substance use is identified as a concern or potential concern at any phase of our work. In addition, there are specific points that these screens must be applied. These points are detailed in the ‘Points of application table - screens and assessments for young people' below.

The only exception to completing to a Suicide/Kessler/SACS is if Mental Health Services or Alcohol and Drug Services have recently completed and shared an assessment which details the level of current risk and there has been no significant change to the young persons' circumstances since that assessment was completed.

Whenever a risk of suicide or self harm is identified you must consult with a Towards Wellbeing advisor about the suicide risk assessment and the formulation and implementation of a suicide risk management plan.

Frequent screening of a child or young person's risk is necessary in certain situations (e.g. in residence). Where this is the case, the risk must be assessed in conjunction with the prompts in the Key information - Use of internal screens and assessments with young people to avoid overuse of the screening tool. Where appropriate, continued liaison with the TWB advisor should occur.

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Suicide Risk Assessment

In cases where there is a believed risk of suicide, or the suicide screen indicates suicidal risk, a social worker must further assess the risk of suicide by using the Suicide Risk Assessment and consulting with a Towards Well-being Suicide Monitoring Programme (TWB) advisor. If the risk of suicide is identified, a Suicide Risk Management Plan must be developed, in consultation with the TWB advisor.

The suicide risk must be reassessed (using the Suicide Risk Assessment) if a concern is raised about a child or young person's behaviour or mood, or there is a change in the child or young persons circumstances that may impact on their level of risk (e.g. periods of transition, relationship break up or loss of a loved one or friend).

Key Information: Suicide risk factors

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Assessing risks, strengths and needs

Assessment of a young person's strengths, risks and needs will support decision making and strong case work. Both the TRAX and Wellbeing Assessments are available; the social worker will use the one they are trained in.

The TRAX assessment remains valid for up to three months if there are no significant changes in circumstances. When TRAX is no longer valid, and an updated assessment is required, the social worker will complete a reassessment. The reassessment application is only available whilst the intervention phase is open; if a new referral is received after the intervention is closed a new assessment will be required.

Professional judgement will guide decisions around the use of TRAX or Wellbeing assessments, but practitioners must ensure they have access to a valid assessment or complete a new one at the points stated in the section titled ‘Points of application table - screens and assessments for young people' below.

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Residential case leader/field social worker interface

Where a child or young person is in residence, the field social worker must liaise with the residential case leader to determine how any assessment process is to be managed.

Points of Application table - screens and assessments for young people

The following points require application of the appropriate screen or assessment.

Where an application of TRAX has been completed within the preceding 3 months professional judgement will guide whether a re-assessment is undertaken. If a TRAX has been completed, but is more than 3 months old, a re-assessment is required. 

* Caution must be exercised when using SACS without the Kessler and Suicide screens as Substance Use is known to "mask" suicide risk. Application of the Kessler and Suicide screens should always be considered.

Updated 1 April 2011

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