ACT.0005.001.0058

Care and Protection Services - Kinship care assessments - authorising a kinship carer

Ca re and Protection Serv ices • Site Pag es • l<insllip care assessments - authorising a kins /1ip carer Ct1r e and Protect ion Services

Practice Guideline: Kinsh ip care assessments - authorising a kinship carer

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This gu ideline provides in formation for sta ff about authorising a kinship carer following a kinship carer assessmen t, including the appea ls process and administration at the end of th e assessm ent.

A kinship ca rer must be assessed prior to a kinship ca re placement commencing to ensure that they are a suitable entity and can be au thorised for a Specific Parenta l Authority (SPA) (see separa te Practice Guidelines: Kinship carer assessments ; Suitable entities ; Specific parenta l authority).

Fina lising a Kinship Care r Assessment

At the end of both the Preliminary Kinship Carer Assessment and the Comprehensive Kinsh ip Carer Assessment staff are to make a recommendation to the Operations Manager about whet/1er or not the carer meets the requi rements to be a suitable entity and to be authorised for an SPA (see separate Practice Guideline: Kinship care assessments - finalising the assessment).

Authorising a kinship carer

All SPAs must be authori sed by an Operations Manager or On-ca ll Manager (see below) as the delegate.

The Tea111 Lead er is to provide the Kinshi p Carer Assess111ent repo rt generated by CHYPS to the Operation s Manager for endorsement. The Operations Manager is to record and discuss with staff any disagreement with th e assessm ent and/or reco111111endat ion on the Kinship Ca rer Assess111 ent.

In situations where sta ff are undertaking a Pre li111inary Kinship Carer Assessment in the field and phone through a summary of the assessment and recommenda tions, the Team Leader is to prov ide the verbal summary of the assessment and recommendations to the Operations Manager. The Operations Manager must decide whether or not to authorise the SPA. The Operations Manager's endorsem ent may be provided verbally ( ie. by phone). Staff are to reco rd the assessment, recommendations and endorsement including time and date as soon as practicab le on the Kinship Carer Assessment In CHYPS.

The Operations Manager is to issue the authorisation in writing within ten (10) working days being either:

i. fo llowing a Preliminary Kinsh ip Carer Assessment or a Comprehensive Kinship Carer Assessment, a letter notify ing th e Specific Parental Au thority identifying that the carer is authori sed to exercise aspects of pa rental responsibili ty for a specific child. The Opera tions Manager must sign and Issue two (2) cop ies of the letters and Specific Parental Authority or

2. foll owing a Comprehensive Kinship Carer Assessment following a Prelim inary Kinship Carer Assess111ent, a lette r confir111ing any previous ly autl1orised Specific Parenta l Aut11ority. The Operations Manager must sign and issue two (2) copies of the letters or

3 . a letter notifyi ng tha t Speci fic Pa ren tal Authority Is not authorised (see below).

The SPA will be issued using the Specific Parenta l Authority Foster and Kinship Care ( interim or short ter111 ord ers) template or Specific Parenta l Authority (SPA) Foster and Kinship Care on ord ers to 18 years temp late (both in CHYPS) .

Note: Specific Parenta l Authority (SPA) Foster and Kinship Care on orders to 18 yea rs template will only be issued where the Court has determined the child is in the care of th e Director-Genera l until they are 18 yea rs of age. An SPA will not be issued until the national cri 111 inal history check, ch ild protection record s check and confirmation of the app licat ion for a WWVP ca rd is submitted.

A copy of the Preliminary Kinship Carer Assessment or Com prehensive Kinship Ca rer Assessment may be provided with the letter. A copy of th e signed letter and SPA is to be scanned into CHYPS and placed on the child's reg istry fil e.

Authoris ing a l<inship carer after hours

Where staff are co111pleting a Prelim inary Kinship Assessment after hours, the After Hours Crisis Service Team Leader will contact the CPS On-ca ll Manager to seek verbal ag reement to th e SPA. The On-ca ll Manager will:

issue a ve rbal SPA

notify the CPS Placements Manager of the placement v ia an email

notify the relevant Operations Manager via an em ail.

The Operations Manager is to ensure that the ca rer is provided with written authorisa ti on as soon as practi cab le after the verba l authorisation by th e On­ca ll Manager.

Suitable entities register

All authorised ki nship ca rers are to be notified in the Suitab le Entities Register (see separate Practice Guideline: Suitab le entities).

Non-authorisation of a l<inship carer

The Operations Manager is to communicate in writing a decision not authorise a person as a kinship ca rer. A cop y of the letter and attachments is to be sca nned into CHYPS and placed on the kinship ca rer 's reg istry file (see below).

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ACT.0005.001.0059

Care and Protection Services - Kinship care assessments - authorising a kinship carer Page 2 of2

The decision not to authorise a person as a kinship carer is a reviewab le decision (see below). Staff are to make a reasonable attempt to talk tl1rough the comp leted assessm ent w ith tl1e care r who has not been authori sed for a SPA and exp lain th e rationale for the decision .

Note: if a carer was issued an SPA during a Preliminary Kinship Carer Assessm ent and then found unsu itab le in the Comprehensive Kinship Ca rer Assessment, the SPA will not be revoked . Instead, the child w ill be moved to a new care placement and therefore th e SPA will automatica lly encl. The decision to move a child 's care placement is not a reviewable decisio n.

Appea ls process

The decision not to au thorise a kinship carer for an SPA rnay be reviewed by the ACT Civi l and Administrative Appea ls Tribunal (ACAT) (see separate Practice Gu ideline: Reviewab le decisions). The person has twenty-eight (28) days from rece ipt of th e wr itten notice to lodge their appea l with ACAT.

Notifying th e CPS Out of Home Care team

Staff are to not ify the CPS Out of Horne Care team of any new placement or pl acement c l1 ange following the SPA authorisation by tl1e Operations Manager.

Review of kinship carers

A kinship ca rer's authorisa tion for Speci fic Parental Authority (SPA) is to be reviewed every t hree (3) years in alignment with the carer's Working With Vulnerab le People Card renewal or when new information comes to light that may affect a kinship carer as a suitab le entity or to be authorised for a SPA (eg. a Ch ild Protection Report about a child in a kinship care placement) (see sepa rate Practice Guideline: Suitab le entities and Practice Guideline: Specific Pa rental Au thority) .

Staff from the Kinship Care Support team are to conduct the review.

Staff are to conduct a Comprehens ive Kinship Carer Assessment excep t for the need to undertake a referee report or interv iew the ca rer about their history (see separate Practice Guideline; Kinship carer assessments - comprehensive kinship carer assessment).

In undertaking the assessment sta ff should focus on id entifying and interviewing any person aged 18 years or older wl10 was not previously identified, including any young person who turn ed 18 in the last three years. Staff are to ensure that a nationa l criminal history check, child protection records check and Working with Vulnerable People Card check is conducted on each person. Staff should also focus on the continued suitability of the house and outdoor environment.

Records management

Staff are to ensure that:

one original signed SPA is provided to the kinship carer

one original signed SPA is pl aced on the child 's registry file

a copy of the signed SPA is scanned into CHYPS (child's file and kinship carer's file)

a copy of the sig ned SPA is prov ided to the CPS Out of Home Ca re team t o place on the kinship carer 's registry file.

Information and support to carers

If an SPA is authorised staff are to ensure:

t l1 e ca rer is provided with an original sig ned SPA

the carer su bmits the proof of appli cat ion for a WWVP check w ithin seven (7) days of the child being placed (if not already provided

the ca rer has a copy of the Informat ion Sheets : Foster and kinship care 2013-14 subsidy and contingency gu ideli nes ; Kinship Carer Support Team ; Parental responsibi li t y for t he da ily and long term ca re of children and Kinship Carers Guide: t-_ !'~-~q ~f_C_~ _f_c, ~ _C.~ cf:'!~U~J~!'_ AQ.

Staff are to provide the ca rer w ith information on ava ilable su pport and training including fo ster care t ra ining ava ilab le through Learn ing and Community Educa tion , the CPS Carer Liaison Officer and details of the Foster Care Association and Grandparent and Kinship Association .

Staff should be aware that kinship ca rers may not pa rti cipate in induct ion or ongoing support or training and may initially requ ire significant support from staff. Staff shou ld ensure that t l1 ey maintain more frequent contact in th e initia l stages of tl1 e kinship ca re placement.

Document Id: CPSDR-5-204 Last modified: 23/ 10/2014 11 :49 AM

http://incommunityservices/sites/CPS/Site%20Pages/Kinship%20care%20assessment. .. 05/02/2015