1. Determine eligibility for an ATSIFSS referral

The purpose of ATSIFSS is to work directly with children and families to assess and address identified needs by:

  • enhancing parenting skills and improving the attachment between a child and their parents
  • building on the family's strengths
  • enhancing the family's support network and their access to secondary and specialist services in the community.

In addition to their direct service delivery to a child and their family, the ATSIFSS also have the capacity to:

  • link the child and their family to other relevant government and non-government services through a supported referral
  • use limited funds to purchase additional services from other professionals or organisations.

Referral pathways

Families can be referred to an ATSIFSS through one of the following two referral pathways:

  • a referral from Child Safety
  • a referral from a guidance officer or principal from the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE), or a health professional from Queensland Health (QH), including a community controlled Aboriginal health service.

The referral pathway will determine the priority for the acceptance of referrals by ATSIFSS:

  • referrals from Child Safety - first priority
  • referrals from DETE or QH - second priority.

Where capacity allows, families who have previously received a completed support service may self-refer back to an ATSIFSS. In these cases, the ATSIFSS will only respond to this need where there is capacity and where there are no other competing priorities from Child Safety, DETE or QH referrals. In cases where families self-refer, the support must be time limited to one month only.

For information about referrals from DETE or QH, refer to 1. What if the ATSIFSS referral is made by QH or DETE?

Referrals from Child Safety - eligibility criteria

When determining if a family is eligible for referral to an ATSIFSS, ensure that the family meets the criteria for either an early intervention referral, or a statutory intervention referral, as outlined below.

1. Early intervention referrals

All of the following criteria have been met:

  • the child or a parent is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
  • the child is 0-18 years of age or the pregnant woman has consented to the service when the concerns relate to an unborn child and
  • the family has high and complex needs and would benefit from access to family support and other specialist support services

Plus one of the following criteria has been met:

1. A CCR was recorded and:

  • one or both of the parents or the pregnant woman, when the referral related to concerns about an unborn child, were provided information about the referral and
  • one or both of the parents or the pregnant woman consented to the referral or

2. A CCR was recorded and:

  • there has been no contact with the family and their consent to the referral has not been obtained
  • the child and family have had involvement with, or at risk of progressing into, the statutory child protection sytem and one or more of the following factors are present:
    • the subject child or children are under 3 years old
    • three or more child concern reports have been recorded, which may include domestic and family violence
    • there has been previous statutory involvement, for example, notifications or ongoing intervention or

3. An investigation and assessment was completed and:

  • the outcome was 'Substantiated - child not in need of protection' and
  • the final risk level from the family risk evaluation tool was moderate, high or very high and
  • one or both of the parents consented to the referral or

4. An investigation and assessment was completed and:

  • the outcome was 'Unsubstantiated - child not in need of protection' and
  • the final risk level from the family risk evaluation tool was moderate, high or very high and
  • one or both of the parents or the pregnant woman consented to the referral or

5. An investigation and assessment was completed and:

  • the outcome was 'Substantiated - child not in need of protection' and
  • the final risk level from the family risk evaluation tool was high or very high and
  • the pregnant woman consented to the referral.
2. Statutory referrals

All of the following criteria have been met:

  • the child or a parent is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
  • the child is 0 -18 years of age or the pregnant woman has consented to the service when the concerns relate to an unborn child and
  • the family has high and complex needs and would benefit from access to family support and other specialist support services

Plus one of the following criteria has been met:

1. A child has been deemed to be in need of protection and:

  • the goal of the case plan is reunification within 12 months and
  • one or both of the parents consented to the referral or

2. A child has been deemed to be in need of protection and:

  • the child is residing at home under a Protective Supervision or Directive Order and
  • one or both of the parents consented to the referral and
  • the provision of the service may reduce the need for the child to enter out-of-home care or

3. A child has been deemed to be in need of protection and:

  • the family is subject to an open Intervention with Parental Agreement case and
  • one or both of the parents consented to the referral and
  • the provision of the service may reduce the need for a more intrusive statutory response or

4. An unborn child has been deemed to be in need of protection after birth and:

  • the pregnant woman is subject to an open support service case and
  • the pregnant woman consented to the referral and
  • the provision of the service may reduce the need for a more intrusive statutory response.

When considering a referral to an ATSIFSS, a parent includes:

  • the child's mother, father or someone else having or exercising parental responsibility for the child
  • a person who, under Aboriginal tradition, is regarded as a parent of the child or a person who, under Island custom, is regarded as a parent of the child.

A parent does not include a foster carer or specialist foster carer, however, kinship carers, where kin are in a caring role for the child, are eligible to receive support. This may include grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

When assessing whether an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander family has high and complex needs, take into consideration the presence of one or more of the following factors:

  • there have been multiple CCRs or notifications in the previous 12 month period
  • there is previous child protection history in relation to older children that extends over a period of time, indicating possible cumulative harm
  • one or more children are vulnerable, due to the presence of disabilities, challenging behaviours or chronic health issues
  • parental or carer factors include substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic and family violence and relevant criminal history
  • there are social, environmental or contextual factors impacting negatively on the family.

For further information about working with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families, refer to the practice paper Working with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.