Duration

The course will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

Certificate of Completion

On successful completion of the assessments you can download a certificate of completion.

Disclaimer

This course adheres to South Australian (SA Health) guidelines and Australian National Standards.

The principles described in the course can however be applied to any health care setting.

If you practice outside South Australia it is your responsibility to refer to the specific requirements of your local health authority.

Compliance

This course aligns with the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, Second Edition – Standards 1, 2, 5 and 6.

Personal safety

Dealing with child safety and wellbeing can, at times, be quite challenging and confronting. If you find this is the case, do what you need to do to take care of yourself so that you can continue with your learning. This might involve taking a break, taking time to think about what is causing the discomfort or talking to someone else about your thoughts or feelings.

If you require any support contact your organisation’s Assistance Program (EAP).

Crisis support in Australia:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline (for young people aged 5 to 25 years): 1800 55 1800

Family Support Services

Anglicare SA provides a wide range of services in various localities to assist families in difficulty and crisis.

BreakEven Services SA (BESSA) provides assistance for problem gambling.

Children's centres are locally distributed centres offering care, education, health services, community development activities and family services.

Crisis helplines provides a directory of all South Australian emergency service crisis helplines and crisis counselling.

Domestic violence crisis service provides support services for women, men, teenagers, children and seniors affected by domestic violence.

Mensline provides professional phone and online support, information, counselling and referrals for men with family or relationship concerns.

Parenting SA provides Parent Easy Guides on a wide range of parenting topics from birth to 18 years including some specially designed for Aboriginal and migrant families.

Relationships Australia provides relationship support services such as counselling, mediation and education programs for individuals, families and communities.

SAPOL: Help and support for domestic violence provides support and services for women who have experienced or are experiencing domestic violence.

St Vincent de Paul provides national support services and support referral for all people in need.

Aboriginal specific support services

Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Inc (AHCSA) is a peak organisation that represents Aboriginal community controlled health and substance misuse services in SA at a state and national level.

Ceduna Koonibba Aboriginal health service is a community based health services for Aboriginal people in Ceduna and Koonibba.

Muna Paiendi Primary Health Care Services Department of Health provides health and family support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the northern suburbs of Adelaide.

Nunkuwarrin Yunti provides culturally appropriate health care and community support services for Aboriginal people.

Women's and Children's Hospital (Aboriginal Unit) is a small team of liaison officers who visit all Aboriginal inpatients at the WCH. The group act as advocates for the inpatients, ensuring their medical, practical and cultural needs are met.

Multicultural support services

Department for Education and Child Development Community Liaison Officers support the engagement of culturally and linguistically diverse students and families in education by bridging cultural understandings.

Interpreting and Translating Centre (ITC) provides comprehensive, high quality, efficient, confidential and professional interpreting and translating services in approximately 112 languages and dialects.

Migrant health service provides specialist primary health care services for recently arrived refugees, other humanitarian entrants and asylum seekers.

Australian Migrant Resource Centre is a community settlement agency and services for migrants and refugees in SA.

Multicultural SA is responsible for advising the Government on all matters relating to multicultural and ethnic affairs in SA.

The Multicultural Communities Council of SA is the peak organisation that efficiently services, innovatively empowers and strongly advocates for cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in South Australia.

Survivors of torture and trauma assistance and rehabilitation service (STTARS) provide services for torture and trauma survivors from refugee or migrant backgrounds.

Abuse response and information

Adolescent Sexual Abuse Prevention program provides counselling, consulting and training for sexual abuse, sexual concerns, challenging and disruptive behaviours in adolescents and their families.

Child abuse report line (CARL) is a 24 hour child abuse and neglect response team. All suspicions of abuse or neglect must be reported through CARL.

Flinders Medical Centre provides assistance and interventions for families of children at risk of abuse. The CPS at FMC serves the southern, south western and south eastern metropolitan and country areas of South Australia. Currently, the CPS offers a fortnightly visiting service in the South East of the State.

WCH provide specialist assessment and treatment services to children from birth to 18 years and their families where there is a suspicion of child abuse, psychological maltreatment and/or neglect. CPS at the WCH provides these services to families residing within the northern city and northern country areas of Adelaide.

Lyell McEwin Hospital Child Protection Service (CPS) provide specialist assessment and treatment services to children from birth to 18 years and their families where there is a suspicion of child harm.

Homeless youth support

Coolock House provides accommodation support for young mothers and their children.

Reconnect SA provide local support for people aged 12 to 18 who are homeless, or at the risk of homelessness, and their families, plus specialist services for Aboriginal, South-East Asian and mental health needs.

Trace-A-Place (TAP) provides a central assessment, referral and case management service for young people who are homeless in Adelaide.

Metropolitan Youth Health Service (MYHealth) provides free, confidential health service for young people aged 12 to 25 with a focus on young people under 18 years, across metropolitan Adelaide.

Reconnect mental health program provides support for young people aged 12 to 18 who are homeless, or at the risk of homelessness, and their families.

Young carers

Carers Australia provides help and support for carers, including representation and advocacy services.

Carers SA provides support services such as counselling, advice, representation, respite, education and more for carers and caring families.

Additional services

SA Community provides a comprehensive directory of government, non-government and community services throughout SA.

Women's information service provides in-person or over the phone information for women seeking help with any situation.

Key policies and directives

Child Protection – Mandatory Notification of actual or suspected child abuse or neglect (0–18years) Policy Directive

The purpose of this Policy Directive is to ensure a consistent approach to the mandatory reporting requirements relating to actual or suspected harm of a child (0-18 years) in accordance with the Children’s Protection Act 1993 (SA).

With the implementation of this Policy Directive, SA Health will ensure:

• all cases of actual or suspected child abuse and neglect are reported
• systems are in place to assist staff in the identification of actual or suspected child abuse or neglect
• staff are aware of their legal obligations to report actual or suspected abuse or neglect of a child
• staff are knowledgeable in the areas of child protection.

Information Sharing Guidelines for Promoting Safety and Wellbeing: SA Health ISG Appendix Policy Directive

Outlines how the South Australian Information Sharing Guidelines for Promoting Safety and Wellbeing (the ISG) applies in the SA Health context. This Policy Directive should be read in conjunction with the ISG.

Health Standards for Children and Young People under the Guardianship of the Minister Policy Directive

Describes roles and best practice for SA Health and the Department for Child Protection in relation to:

• priority access to health services for eligible children
• health assessment
• ongoing health care planning, monitoring and review.

A Foot in the Door: Stepping towards solutions to resolve incidents of severe domestic squalor in South Australia

Related policies, directives and guidelines

Australian and State/Territory Governments

• Protecting Children is Everyone’s Business: National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009–2020
• National Clinical Assessment Framework for Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) March 2011
• The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022

South Australian Government

• Charter of Rights for Children and Young People in Care. 2009 (Office for the Guardian of Children and Young People)
• Family Safety Framework and Authority to Disclose Information under the Family Safety Framework Policy Directive
• Information Sharing Guidelines for Promoting Safety and Wellbeing
• Interagency code of practice: investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect

SA Health

• Criminal and Relevant History Screening Policy Directive
• Employees Charged with Criminal Offences Directive
• Patient Incident Management and Open Disclosure Policy Directive
• Performance Review and Development
• System-wide Risk Management Policy Directive
• Child harm – identifying and responding where medical neglect or fabricated or induced illness is suspected

SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines

A number of Perinatal Guidelines relate to child protection:

• Concealed or denied pregnancy – SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines
• Managing women in distress after a traumatic birth experience
• Eating disorders and pregnancy – SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines
• Female genital mutilation – SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines
• Intent to harm fetus – SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines
• Substance use in pregnancy – SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines
• Women who decline blood transfusion – SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines