3. Ensure service delivery coordination

The Child Protection Act 1999, section 159F requires that service providers must take reasonable steps to coordinate decision-making and the delivery of services to children and families, in order to appropriately and effectively meet the protection and care needs of children and support their families.

In addition, the following prescribed entities can be requested by Child Safety (Child Protection Act 1999, section 159H), to provide a service:

• a licensee
• the chief executives of:
  
  • the Department of Community Safety
  • the Department of Education, Training and Employment
  • Queensland Health
  • the Department of Housing and Public Works
  • the Department of Justice and Attorney-General
• the commissioner of the QPS.

Child Safety may ask a prescribed entity to provide a service to a child in need of protection, or a member of the child's family, to help meet the child's protection and care needs and promote the child's well-being. Child Safety can also request a service to a pregnant woman (only with the consent of the pregnant woman) to help meet the protection and care needs of the unborn child, and promote the unborn child's well-being after the child is born.

When requesting a service, it is important that the focus be on the need that is to be addressed, rather than the identification of a specific service response.

Only regional directors have the delegation for using the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159H. It is anticipated that this provision will not be used very often as the information sharing provisions under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159M, allow for full collaboration and information sharing between agencies to meet the protection and care needs of children and their families.

To request that a service be provided by a prescribed entity under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159H, the regional director will provide the request in writing and will clearly state that the request is being made under the Child Protection Act 1999, section 159H. Child Safety must also provide the prescribed entity the information it needs to comply with the request.

If a request is made for services, the prescribed entity must take reasonable steps to provide the service, provided the request is consistent with the prescribed entity's function and does not unreasonably affect its other operations.