All notifications recorded by the department are investigated and an assessment made as to whether the child is in need of protection.
The investigation and assessment process involves reviewing the child protection history of the child and family and determining who will be involved in the process.
Child safety officers then gather information by sighting and interviewing the child, and interviewing their parents. They may also gather information from other agencies and individuals.
Investigations will usually be conducted with the consent of the parents. Where this is not possible or appropriate, an application is made for an assessment order to enable the investigation to take place.
Once a child safety officer has considered the information gathered during an investigation and completed an assessment, a decision is made about the appropriate outcome for each child and the need for ongoing intervention. There are three possible outcomes of a finalised investigation and assessment:
- substantiated - it is assessed that the child or young person has experienced significant harm and/or there is unacceptable risk of harm and there is no parent able and willing to protect the child. Where the risk of future harm is present and the child does not have a parent able and willing to protect them, a child is considered to be in need of protection.
- unsubstantiated - there is no evidence that the child has experienced significant harm and there is no unacceptable risk of harm. In these instances the family may be referred to a support service to help them address risk factors that may lead to future harm.
- no investigation and assessment outcome - the investigation has been unable to be commenced or completed due to circumstances beyond the control of the department and is subsequently closed. This may occur in circumstances where insufficient information is available or where a family is unable to be located.
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