CHILD PROTECTION INDUCTION
TRAINING SESSION PLAN
January 2011
COURSE:
Child Protection Induction Workshop
COURSE
OBJECTIVE:
To provide new staff of non-government organisations with an overview of
Queensland's child protection system
It is important that workers within all of these organisations:
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
PARTICIPANTS

have a clear understanding of the child protection service system and how
it works, and

can identify how their work “fits in”, or interfaces, with this system.
Participants will obtain an awareness and understanding of:

Queensland’s child protection service system and its linkages to the broader
child and family service system

key understandings about “good” child protection practice

“statutory” child protection services including child protection legislation
and the key stages and steps included within the child protection process

the key child protection processes which impact on the roles and
responsibilities of workers within non-government organisations that
provide child protection or related services

approaches to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children,
young people and families and services

approaches used by organisations in working together

the key values and principles that should inform your practice and work
within the field of child protection, and

approaches to “self care” and maintaining a healthy “work-life balance”.
New staff of non-government organisations that are



funded by the Department of Communities (Child Safety) such as family
support and intervention services or a range of out of home care services
funded by other parts of the Department of Communities including early
childhood, early intervention, domestic and family violence, youth justice,
homelessness, disability amongst others
Child and family support services funded by other government departments
FACILITATOR:
DURATION:
EQUIPMENT:
MATERIALS:
9.30am - 4.30pm
Computer, projector and screen for Microsoft PowerPoint® presentation




PowerPoint presentation
Copies of Child Protection Induction Kit
Butchers paper - 3 sheets
Post it notes
TIME
9.30
ITEM
AID
INTRODUCTION
Welcome participants to Workshop

Slide 1
Explain that the workshop was developed by the Child Protection
Workforce Action Group as part of the Integrated Skills Development
Strategy - project of the Health and Community Services Workforce
Council - funded by the Department of Communities
Introduce yourself



name
organisation
current role
Workshop participants

Explain that you will ask participants to introduce themselves during
the activity for the first session
Acknowledge Traditional Owners

Find out name of the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land on
which the workshop is being held - ask local Aboriginal people
/agencies and/or do a web based search. If it is unclear, or more than
one group has claimed ownership, refer to what you understand the
situation to be
Workshop objectives
Session objectives
Slide 2
TIME
ITEM
AID
Slide 3
Evaluation

Distribute evaluation forms and inform participants that you will ask
they evaluate relevant sessions prior to each break
Evaluation
form
Housekeeping




9.45
Timeframes - breaks
Toilets
Evacuation procedures
Mobile phones
SESSION ONE: CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM AND LINKAGES TO BROADER
CHILD AND FAMILY WELFARE SYSTEM

Focus of child protection
Slide 4

UN Convention on Rights of Child
Slide 5

How is the Child Protection System structured
Slide 6-8

Stress that
o
The availability of services across the continuum within different
communities and local areas, and the capacity of these services to
meet needs can vary considerably. The local area or community that
you live in may not have access to services within each of these levels
of prevention and intervention, or the services available are not
sufficient to meet the level of need
o
Nevertheless this framework is useful in thinking about the range of
services that are required to support an effective child protection
system

Children and families may be in contact with other service systems

Broader context
Slide 9-10
Questions or comments
10.00
Exercise Mapping the local child protection service system
Slide 11
TIME
ITEM

10.30
Where does your service fit within the three levels of child protection
and intervention

Present slide 11 and outline activity

Stress that some services may not fit neatly within one of the three
levels - there may be aspects of their services that cover more than
one level

Feedback - Ask each person to introduce themselves, the
service/organisation they are from and where the service fits within
the three levels - is it an example of a primary, secondary or tertiary
level (this is intended to be brief)

Ask each participant to write the name of their service on a "post it"
and at the end of the session to attach it to the butcher's paper under
the appropriate level

At the end of the session, comment that networking and making
linkages is important to working in child protection - ask participants if they would liked to receive contact details from other participants
to record their name, organisation, phone contact and email address
on the sheet provided

Following the workshop have the sheet typed up and distribute via
email to those on the list
10.15
AID
Butchers
paper
Post-it notes
Contact
sheet
SESSION TWO: KEY UNDERSTANDING OF GOOD CHILD PROTECTION
PRACTICE

Enhanced appreciation
Slide 12

Lessons from the past informing good practice
Slide 13

Key aims of an effective child protection system
Slide 14

Safety from harm
Slide 15

About well being
Slide 16

About life opportunities
Slide 17
TIME
ITEM

Benefits of an effective child protection system
AID
Slide 18
Need to click Slide 18 twice
o
The factors that influence whether children and young people in out of
home care are able to achieve these benefits
o
The benefits of an effective child protection system

Implications
o
Note: Identify that the National Child Protection Framework varies
slightly from the continuum of child protection services referred to
earlier. Apart from the different descriptors used for each level, the
national framework splits the secondary level into two parts, targeted
services and early intervention.
Slide 19-20
Important - Acknowledge that what constitutes good child practice may
not be consistent with what participants have or may experience.
However, it is critical that they have an understanding of good practice so
that you can identify issues and advocate for change.
Activity - large group
10.50

Ask participants whether the presented aims of an effective child
protection system are consistent with their understanding.

Ask participants whether the presented aims are consistent with their
experience of the system so far.
No slide
Evaluation

Complete evaluation for Sessions 1 and 2
11.10
MORNING TEA - 15 MINUTES
11.25
SESSION THREE: STATUTORY CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES

Types of service activities
Slide 21

Who provides them
Slide 22
Note: Broad at this stage - more detail later

Child protection legislation
Slide 23
TIME
ITEM

Child Protection Act - Principles
AID
Slide 24-27
Note: Stress the recent amendment to make the safety, wellbeing and
best interests of a child paramount and how this is intended to be used to
deal with any conflict between the principles and the interests of
different parties.
Note: There are specific principles relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children which we will come back to later.

What the Act covers
Slide 28
Note - general only - will go through process in more detail

Other relevant legislation
Slide 29

Organisation of Statutory services
Slide 30-31

Child Protection process
Slide 32
Note: This is an area participants wanted more information about - talk to
this in more detail - see page 22
11.50
12.10
Other key functions of the Department of Communities
Slide 33
Discussion - Any questions or comments - subject to time, check
participants experiences of processes so far
No slide
SESSION FOUR: KEY PROCESSES IMPACTING NON-GOVERNMENT
SERVICES

Summary of processes
Slide 34

Reporting Harm
Slide 35
Discussion - protection from liability and protection from identification

Family support
Slide 36
Note: Requirements to report to the Department will vary depending on
the purpose of the referral, nature and level of child protection concerns,
and whether the dept is providing ongoing intervention.
TIME
ITEM
AID
Note: Helping Out Family Initiative - changes to legislation to enable the
Department to provide information to non-government services where
the needs of children for protection do not meet the threshold for
statutory intervention.

Case planning and family group meetings

Placement Agreements and care planning
Slide 37

Service Standards and Licensing
Slide 38
Note: Licensing focused on placement and support services - IEA
Slide 39-41
Standards have been Piloted other services
National Out of Home Care Standards
Integration of Standards across service systems - Qld Compact - piloting
of generic standards

12.35
Exercise - Reporting Harm
Evaluation

Complete evaluation for Sessions 3 and 4
1.00
LUNCH - 30 MINUTES
1.30
SESSION FIVE: WORKING WITH ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT
ISLANDER CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND ORGANSIATIONS

Slide 42
Why CP Act includes a number of principles, provisions, and
requirements that relate specifically relate
Note: Emphasise over-representation In 2009-10, when compared to non-Indigenous children, Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander children were:
o
4.7 times more likely to be notified for alleged harm or risk of harm
o
6.1 times more likely to be substantiated for abuse or neglect
o
8.4 times more likely to be subject to a care and protection order
o
8.4 times more likely to be living away from home.
Slide 43
TIME
ITEM

AID
Additional principles
Slide 44

Other key provisions
Slide 45-46

Child placement principle
Slide 47-48
Stress that it is not possible within this workshop to cover how to work
with A & TSI children and families. Anyone involved in working with A
and TSI children and families should undertake cultural awareness and
respect training.
1.50
Initial steps in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples
Slide 49
Exercise - ask participants to use the steps in working with Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples as a checklist discussing what steps they
have taken so far and what else they need to do.
2.10
SESSION SIX: WORKING TOGETHER
Slide 50

Slide 51
Participation - skills and abilities
Note: Stress the importance of asking children, young people and parents
how they want to participate - what works best for them
2.25
Exercise - Identify the need for participants to check their organisation's
policies re: participation and discuss barriers to participation (large group)

Slide 52
Working Together
2.45
Slide 53

Note on Confidentiality
Slide 54
3.00
Exercise - Identify the need for participants to check their organisation's
policies re: working together and discuss examples of formal structures
and processes for supporting collaboration (large group)
Evaluation

3.15
Complete evaluation for Sessions 5 and 6
AFTERNOON TEA - 15 MINUTES
Slide 52
TIME
3.30
3.40
ITEM
AID
SESSION SEVEN: UNDERSTANDING VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
UNDERLYING YOUR PRACTICE

Understanding values and principles underpinning your practice
Slide 55

Professional framework
Slide 56

Steps to developing your own professional framework
Slide 57

Exercise Values and Understandings
Slide 58
Note: In introducing the exercise, stress that whilst people may draw on
their own experience you are asking people to respond generally not
personally.
4.00
4.10
SESSION EIGHT: SELF CARE
Discovering the right balance
Slide 59
Key elements
Slide 60
Exercise - Time
Slide 61

4.30
Complete evaluation for Sessions 7 and 8, and general questions
FINISH