Queensland Government
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services

Table of contents:

Graph

Proportion of children subject to ongoing intervention with a case plan, Queensland, as at 30 June 2011 Proportion of children subject to ongoing intervention with a case plan, Queensland, as at 30 June 2011

YearCase plan recordedNo case plan yet recorded
2010-11 95 % 5 %

Tables

DescriptionAnnualQuarterly
CP.1: Children subject to ongoing intervention with a case plan, by intervention type, Queensland Excel (XLS, 27 KB) Excel (XLS, 27 KB)
CP.2: Children subject to ongoing intervention with a current case plan by intervention type, Queensland Excel (XLS, 28 KB) Excel (XLS, 29 KB)

What is a case plan?

When a decision has been made that there will be ongoing intervention with a child in need of protection, a case plan is developed to address the child's care and protection needs. Case planning involves a cycle of assessment, planning, implementation and review.

The initial case plan for a child is developed at a family group meeting to ensure an inclusive and participative process with the child, their family and other significant people. For Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children or young people, an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander recognised entity must be given the opportunity to participate in the case planning process.

A case plan is a written document that explains why the child is considered to be in need of protection, the goal of ongoing intervention and outcomes and actions required to achieve the goals. It provides a clear statement about the roles and responsibilities of all participants in addressing the child's care and protection needs. Where it is determined that the department must intervene with a child protection order to meet a child's protection needs, a case plan must be developed and submitted to the court, prior to the court granting a finalised child protection order.

Why this topic is important

Case planning plays a significant part in improving a child's wellbeing by helping to address their care and protection needs.

Trends

As at 30 June 2011, there were 10,327 children in need of protection and subject to ongoing intervention. Of these, 95.1 per cent (9,820) had a case plan recorded on ICMS.

There are a number of valid reasons a proportion of all children subject to ongoing intervention on a certain day may not have a case plan recorded on ICMS. These include:

  • A family group meeting is required to develop a case plan. This meeting must be held within 30 days of the decision a child is in need of protection, or within the timeframe set by the court on an adjournment. For example, it would be legitimate for a child who enters ongoing intervention on 5 June to not yet have a case plan approved and recorded on ICMS by 30 June.
  • Exceptional circumstances, such as in cases where parents are unwilling to engage in the case planning process; the case plan is considered not in the child's best interests and must be amended; or where a child protection order must be sought prior to developing a case plan to ensure the child's safety.

Case plans are required to be reviewed at least every 6 months to be considered current.

Of the 9,820 children with a case plan as at 30 June 2011, 8,006 (81.5 per cent) had a current case plan.

There are a number of reasons why a case plan review may not be conducted within six months. These include instances where:

  • parents are unwilling to engage in the review process
  • the review is still in progress
  • the review has been completed, but not yet recorded on the central system
  • the review is completed and entered into the central system, but is yet to be approved.