2. Classify a person or event as sensitive

A person or event may be classified as sensitive at any stage of Child Safety intervention.  

When classifying a person or event as sensitive consult the team leader and senior practitioner about the decision to classify and record the person or event as sensitive. When a decision is made to proceed:

• consider whether it is necessary to classify the entire person or carer entity as sensitive or whether it would be sufficient to limit sensitivity to a specific event
• create or access the person record, carer entity record or event record in ICMS
• create a sensitivity plan in ICMS, including:
  • the allocated CSSC or RIS
  • the reason for sensitivity
  • the start and review dates
  • which staff are to have access to the information
• submit the sensitivity plan to the sensitivity manager for approval.

The sensitive classification only commences following approval of the sensitivity plan by the sensitivity manager. The sensitivity manager will be the CSSC or RIS manager (or RIS team leader where there is no manager) or the CSAHSC team leader or manager. The sensitivity manager is able to view the full details of any person, carer entity or event classified as sensitive for their CSSC or RIS. The sensitivity manager can change the staff with access to a sensitive record at any time following the classification of a record as sensitive in ICMS.

Child Safety staff without access will not be able to view the electronic records of a sensitive person or event. Electronic searches for a person or event that has been classified as sensitive will be logged by IT and sensitivity log reports will be generated which will identify staff members who have attempted to access sensitive records.

Child Safety staff without access are not to access the paper files associated with a sensitive person or event. These paper files are to be kept in a locked filing cabinet.

Pre-adoptive cases

The Adoption Act 2009, section 314, contains confidentiality requirements, obligating Child Safety not to disclose any personal information that is likely to allow the birth and/or adoptive parents identities to become known.

In order to comply with this requirement, all adoptive children's birth names will be classified as sensitive and will remain on the system as such. In some cases, the birth parents have other children who are not adopted, and may be subject to child protection intervention. In these cases, the birth parents names will be classified as either standard or sensitive, as guided by Adoption Services Queensland.

For further information, refer to Chapter 10.4 Providing adoption services.