Carer Connect User Guide - Carers · sophisticated vulnerability scans on the Carer Connect application. The Department also engages a third party vendor to provide assurance, from

User guide

For Foster and Kinship Carers

User Guide Version 4.1, March 2020

Page 2 of 49

Contents Welcome ................................................................................................................................ 6

Protecting information (security) ................................................................................................................... 6

Your responsibility ...................................................................................................................................... 6

Email for registration ...................................................................................................................................... 6

Malware (virus protection) ............................................................................................................................. 6

Screen shots .................................................................................................................................................... 6

Lost or stolen devices ...................................................................................................................................... 6

Registration and login ............................................................................................................. 7

Registering to use the app .............................................................................................................................. 7

Log in screen .................................................................................................................................................... 8

Apps and Internet Browser ........................................................................................................................ 8

Privacy Policy Agreement and Terms and Conditions ............................................................. 9

Navigation ............................................................................................................................ 10

Home .................................................................................................................................... 11

Children in my care ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Young Person Profile ................................................................................................................................. 13

Viewing the information on a smaller display ......................................................................................... 14

Details ........................................................................................................................................................ 14

Alerts .......................................................................................................................................................... 15

Personal Details ......................................................................................................................................... 15

Health ........................................................................................................................................................ 17

Cultural Support ........................................................................................................................................ 20

Who am I ................................................................................................................................................... 22

Welcome Pack ........................................................................................................................................... 25

Family Relationships ................................................................................................................................. 27

CSSC Contacts ............................................................................................................................................ 28

Education ................................................................................................................................................... 29

Documents ................................................................................................................................................ 30

My Documents .............................................................................................................................................. 32

Notice Board .................................................................................................................................................. 33

Post Story to kicbox ....................................................................................................................................... 34

Your Posts .................................................................................................................................................. 35

Edit Storyline Posts ................................................................................................................................... 36


Page 3 of 49

Storyline History ........................................................................................................................................ 37

Support ................................................................................................................................. 38

Who to contact .............................................................................................................................................. 38

Emergencies .................................................................................................................................................. 39

Resources ...................................................................................................................................................... 40

My Profile ............................................................................................................................. 41

Our Home ...................................................................................................................................................... 41

Create Carer Profile .................................................................................................................................. 41

Carer details................................................................................................................................................... 42

Approval Status ............................................................................................................................................. 43

Reimbursements ........................................................................................................................................... 44

Create a reimbursement request ............................................................................................................. 45

Review and submit a reimbursement request ........................................................................................ 46

Change password .......................................................................................................................................... 47

Notifications ......................................................................................................................... 48

Log out ................................................................................................................................. 48

Appendix A: kicbox .............................................................................................................. 49

Revision history As Carer Connect continues to evolve, so will this user guide.

As enhancements and new features are released, this guide will be updated. Use the table below to identify what has changed.

Published Version # Author Description of change/revision

02.04.2018 1.0 DCSYW Published for trial of Carer Connect.

31.08.2018 2.0 DCSYW Updated for state-wide release of Carer Connect, new screen shots and information has been added relating to:

• Privacy policy agreement - terms and conditions • Notifications • Notice Board • Cultural support details • My Documents

o View additional documents • kicbox


Page 4 of 49

06.09.2018 2.1 DCSYW Disclaimer added.

01.10.2018 2.2 DCSYW Updated for go-live of Carer Connect, new screen shots and information has been added relating to:

• Log in process • Young person’s alerts • Personal details • Health • Cultural support • Document status • My documents • Notice Board • My profile

o Home o Create carer profile

• Log out

11.10.2018 2.3 DCSYW Updated to reference quick reference guides for iOS and Android apps.

30.11.2018 2.4 DCSYW Updated for 30/11/2018 release of Carer Connect:

• New welcome email and set password screen • Storyline posts: edit and view history

27.02.2019 2.5 DCSYW Updates for 29/04/2019 release of Carer Connect

o New self-registration and self-verification process

o Who am I

o Welcome pack

o Family Relationships

27.06.2019 3.0 DCSYW Signed and approved version.

31/1/2020 4.0 DCSYW Updated for release of Reimbursements functionality.

25/3/2020 4.1 DCSYW Updated to include respite placements in line with new functionality.

Images in this guide The images used in this guide represent the website desktop view of the Carer Connect app.

The information and navigation will display differently when being viewed on different devices (e.g. tablet or phone) or if the downloadable app is being used.


Page 5 of 49

Disclaimer The information contained in this document including but not limited to people, places, images, names and events are entirely fictitious.

No association with any real organisation, product, person, place or event is intended or should be inferred. This document is provided for informational purposes only to describe the app’s functionality and all data has been manually and fictitiously created. All photographic or video material used in this video has been purchased and does not breach any copyright or moral rights of the owner/s.

Carer Connect is a secure web and mobile friendly app. The information available through the app has been tested to ensure that the data is secure. Your responsibility in safeguarding the data includes ensuring all devices used to access the app are password/passcode protected and your password/passcode is not saved or shared.


Page 6 of 49

Welcome Carer Connect is a web and mobile app that provides foster and kinship carers with access to important information about children in their care, in an efficient and convenient way.

The app is an outcome of the extensive consultation with foster and kinship carers, through the Partners in Care engagements across Queensland in 2017.

Before you get started, there are a couple of key messages you need to be aware of when using the app.

Protecting information (security) The Information Security branch within the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women runs sophisticated vulnerability scans on the Carer Connect application.

The Department also engages a third party vendor to provide assurance, from a technical security perspective, around authenticated and non-authenticated (black box) access. The Department holds a high level of assurance regarding the technical security aspects of Carer Connect. Your responsibility All devices that you use to access Carer Connect need to be password protected. For example, fingerprint or pin on smartphones and pin/password on desktop, tablet and laptop devices.

Email for registration To register for Carer Connect, each user will require an individual email address. We recommend using a personal email and not a work email, as you will receive notifications.

For security purposes, carers cannot log in using a shared email.

Malware (virus protection) To minimise any security threats, please ensure your virus protection is current on any devices you use to access Carer Connect.

Screen shots Please be aware that taking screen shots of information in Carer Connect is considered misuse of information.

Lost or stolen devices If a device that you use to access Carer Connect is lost or stolen, report this immediately to [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]


Page 7 of 49

Registration and login Registering to use the app To gain access to all of the features in Carer Connect a robust registration process has been implemented. This allows a carer to register for the app online at any time. The full process may take around 15 minutes to complete.

There are two options to starting registration.

Option 1:

In the App Store (Apple) or Play Store (Android) search for “Carer Connect QLD”.

Download and install the app onto your device.

The first screen will offer a register button – click on this and the registration process will commence.

Option 2:

The first step to completing the registration process is to go the Carer Connect website.

https://carerconnect.communities.qld.gov.au .

Click on the Register button and the process will commence.

If you have any issues in registering for the app, please refer to the Self-Registration User Guide available on the Carer Connect website.

If at any point you would like assistance, please call (07) 3097 8111 (during business hours) for help in completing the process.

https://carerconnect.communities.qld.gov.au/

https://www.qld.gov.au/community/caring-child/foster-kinship-care/information-for-carers/carer-connect


Page 8 of 49

Log in screen

Apps and Internet Browser

Once the complete registration process has been successful, you can then log in to Carer Connect by either opening the app or navigating to: https://carerconnect.communities.qld.gov.au

Click on the Log In button and it will bring up a new screen (as per the image below) where you can enter your username and password.

To log in:

1. Enter your username.

o Look in your inbox for an email with the subject of: “Carer Connect – Important account information”. Your username is in that email.

2. Enter your password.

3. Click Log In.

Do not share your password with anyone. If prompted, do not allow your browser to remember/save your password.

https://carerconnect.communities.qld.gov.au/


Page 9 of 49

Privacy Policy Agreement and Terms and Conditions The first time you log in to Carer Connect you will need to read/agree to the Privacy Policy Agreement and Terms and Conditions (as captured in the following image).

Select the link at the bottom of the screen to agree and proceed to the home screen.

You can now proceed to use the website desktop view of Carer Connect, or you can download the app from the App Store (iOS devices) / Play Store (Android devices). Refer to the Download app quick reference guides for information to locate and download the app.


Page 10 of 49

Navigation There are five main menu options for locating information in Carer Connect.

• Home

• Support

• My Profile

• Notifications

• Log Out

These navigation options display at the top of the screen.

The information in this guide is set out in sections that reflect where the information is in the system.

Use the table of contents to quickly locate information in this user guide.


Page 11 of 49

Home

From the home screen you can navigate to:

• Children in my care • My Documents • Notice Board • kicbox

When you open the application, the home screen displays.


Page 12 of 49

Children in my care Listed under Children in my care are the children/young people that are placed in your care.

To view a young person’s profile, select (tap) the tile with their details.

Respite” indicates that the child or young person is in your care as a Respite placement.

The kicbox icon indicates that the child or young person has a kicbox account that you can contribute to. It doesn’t mean that the child has registered for nor is using the account.

When a Departmental officer enters an end date for the child in your placement, the child will remain visible for a further 14 days. After this time, the child or young person will automatically disappear from this list.


Page 13 of 49

Young Person Profile When you select a young person in the list, their profile displays.

Section 1

• Details

• Alerts.

Section 2

• Personal Details

• Health

• Cultural Support

• Who am I

• Family Relationships

• CSSC contacts

• Education

• Documents.

Select the tabs to change the view.


Page 14 of 49

Viewing the information on a smaller display When Carer Connect is being viewed on a smaller screen (i.e. mobile device), the layout changes slightly.

To view more information, use the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the different menu options.

Notice that the current option which is selected is the title of at the top and also underlined.

Details Under Details is key information about the child in your care. This information is always visible.


Page 15 of 49

Child Protection Order (CPO)

In the upper-right corner, the type of CPO and expiry date displays.

At times there may be delays in the information being updated. If you are concerned about the expiry of the order, please contact your child safety officer.

Alerts Alerts provide details of any current serious health conditions.

The number next to Alerts, indicates the number of current serious health conditions.

Personal Details The following information is available under personal details:

• Child protection details

o Select the question icon next to the current order type, to display a glossary

• Birth and gender details

• Cultural details


Page 16 of 49


Page 17 of 49

Health The following information is available in the Health section.

• Health cards (Medicare and Health cards)

• Medical conditions

• Disabilities

• Health passport

• Immunisations.

Health Cards and Medical Conditions


Page 18 of 49

Disabilities and Health Passport

Note: If a section is blank this indicates that there is no available information.


Page 19 of 49

Immunisations

Note: If a section is blank this indicates that there is no available information.


Page 20 of 49

Cultural Support Cultural support details for the young person are extracted from the most recently approved case plan.

Cultural support details may include:

• The child’s clan, language, ethnic, cultural, Island and/or community group.

• The parent’s and siblings’ clan, language, ethnic, cultural, Island and/or community group.

• Arrangements for activities or experiences that will support and preserve the child’s cultural identity and connection to their community and culture.

• Supports required by the carer to maintain and support activities outlined in the cultural support plan.

• People with whom arrangements have been made for contact with the child to support and develop their cultural identity.


Page 21 of 49

Cultural Support continued.


Page 22 of 49

Who am I The ‘Who am I’ feature provides you with an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing and belonging of a child or young person. This is a place to record the important information you have about what can help the children and young people placed with you. The notes section allows you to provide more information about each item that you select. This information may be seen in the future by other carers and also the children and young people the information refers to.

o I am… - this is a place to record the strengths

o Help support me with… - this is a place to record any areas where you may help the child / young person with daily living skills

o I like… - this is a place to record anything the child or young person likes to do or watch or participate in.

o I don’t really like… - this is a place to record the child or young person’s dislikes. There might be a strategy that you use to help them with this and that would be useful to describe here.

o Routine… - you are able to input Daily, Weekly, Fortnightly and Monthly routines for the child and young person.


Page 23 of 49

Within each category, carers are able to select a pre-populated item from the options available or create a new item relevant to their young person.

When you select ‘Add new item’ there are additional options or you can upload an image from the computer or mobile device to create your own icon and name.


Page 24 of 49

Routines are recorded differently. You can add a daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly routine into the Who am I section of Carer Connect.

• The routine sections allows carers to manage the young people in their care’s routines without having to repeatedly ask or need reminding.

• The young person’s routine information does not show up in the welcome pack, it is just automatically loaded into Who am I for the new carer.

• Click on + Add item under the relevant section (i.e. daily, weekly) and complete the necessary fields. There is a free text field in each section to ensure carers can add information they find relevant.

This free text field allows carers to add any information they may

need.

Carers can manage the routine activities using these buttons.


Page 25 of 49

Welcome Pack

The Welcome Pack is to assist a smooth transition to a new placement for the child or young person and the carer.

When a new placement is confirmed for a carer, within 3 days of the placement start date, the carer will receive the below email – Carer Connect – Welcome Pack available. Carers will receive this email for each approved placement.

• Click ‘View Welcome Pack’ in the email will launch the Carer Connect app or navigate to the website.

• Log in to the app.

The home page will show a Welcome Pack banner.

If the child or young person is placed with a carer on a respite placement, the Respite label will show on the Welcome Pack.

Navigating the Welcome Pack The Welcome Pack page provides important information about the child or young person, including their name, date of birth, medical conditions and school. Further to this, the Welcome Pack may also contain information compiled from the Who am I section and the routines, providing contextual information to help welcome a child to their placement.


Page 26 of 49

If multiple Welcome Packs are available, navigate between them by using the arrows at the top of each page.

Selecting an icon will expand the icon to provide more details about the selection.

From this pop-up, the carer will be able to use the left and right arrows on screen to view the other selections.

The Welcome Pack banner and page will remain available until the placement closes, or until the carer chooses to dismiss the Welcome Pack.

Temporarily dismiss the Welcome Pack

• Click on the cross at the top right of the banner on the home page. It will remove it from the page, but will reappear again.

• Click on the close or close all button on the Welcome Pack page – dismisses until next log on.

Dismiss a Welcome Pack banner/page

• Click on the dismiss welcome pack button.

The Welcome Pack will not show again, unless the child or young person returns to your care in the future AND updates have been made to the Who am I section.


Page 27 of 49

Family Relationships The Family Relationships tab reflects key relationships for the child. This may not necessarily be all their relationships, just those that are considered most important for the young person.

For immediate family members, the date of birth will also display for carers.

Please contact your Child Safety Officer if you would like to discuss any of the information displayed.


Page 28 of 49

CSSC Contacts Child Safety Service Centre (CSSC) information for the child in your care displays.

You may see both a CSO and Team Leader listed. Your CSO should be the first point of contact for any day to day matters about the child in your care.


Page 29 of 49

Education Under Education, the child’s Current Education details are displayed.

If there is an Education Support Plan this information will also be available.


Page 30 of 49

Documents Child Safety staff members can add documents to a child’s profile. The document categories include:

• Authority to care • Health

• Birth • Money Stuff

• Child safety • Other

• Culture • Placement agreement

• Education • Travel

• Family • Work

The Placement Agreement and Authority to Care documents display with the document status. Other documents may also be available (e.g. Education Support Plan).

Select the Download link to the left of the document name to download a copy of the document. Note, you can only download a document that is approved.


Page 31 of 49

Document status The Placement Agreement and Authority to Care documents display with the document status.

Refer to the following table for definitions on the document statuses.

Document Status Definition

Placement Agreements

In progress No viewable or downloadable document.

Approved CSO has submitted to Team Leader and Team Leader has approved.

No viewable or downloadable document.

Signed Parties to the agreement have signed the document and the CSO has uploaded.

This document can be viewed and downloaded.

Authority to care In progress No viewable or downloadable document.

Approved CSO has submitted to Team Leader and Team Leader has approved.

Document is viewable, but does not have a signature.

Signed Team Leader has signed form and the CSO has uploaded.

This document can be viewed and downloaded.


Page 32 of 49

My Documents The home page displays the most recent version of the Placement Agreement and Authority to Care for each child in your care. It also displays any additional documents a Child Safety staff member has uploaded for a child in your care. For example, an education support plan.

Select the Download link to the left of the document name to download a copy of the document. Note, you can only download a document that is approved.

Select to display a type of document in the list.


Page 33 of 49

Notice Board View notices that Child Safety staff members have posted.

Notices may be posted to a State or Region wide audience, or to Service Centres (the service centre responsible for the carer’s approval).

Select Read more to view the details of a notice.

Alternatively, select See all to open the notice board.

Notices are categorized as: General, Event, Training or School Holidays.

Notices may include attachments (such as a document) or links to additional text or a website.


Page 34 of 49

Post Story to kicbox Carers can add stories and photos to a young person’s kicbox account via the Carer Connect home page.

At the moment carers cannot add videos, they can only contribute photos and stories. (This feature will be available in a future version of the Carer Connect app).

Refer to Appendix A for further information on kicbox.

Select ‘See your posts’ to view what you have contributed to

kicbox.


Page 35 of 49

Your Posts Carers can view all posts that they contribute to kicbox, even after a child has left their care.


Page 36 of 49

Edit Storyline Posts Carers can edit the heading, date, description, and images of their storyline posts.

To edit a post:

Select the button to edit the details of a storyline post.

After you update the post, select the button to save the changes.

Currently, carers are unable to tag extra children in the post.


Page 37 of 49

Storyline History Child Safety Staff can view a history of storyline posts, in kicbox for Staff. If a carer accidentally types something incorrectly and edits their post, the Child Safety worker is able to view all versions of the post.

The below image is the Child Safety Officers view of storyline history.


Page 38 of 49

Support There are three sections available on the Support page:

• Who to contact

• Emergencies

• Resources

Who to contact Key contact information has been provided for your reference. Contact details include Carer Connect

App support, Foster and Kinship Care Support Line, Foster Care Queensland (FCQ) including FAST Representatives, and QHealth.


Page 39 of 49

Emergencies Emergency information and contact details have been provided for your reference.

If the emergency occurs outside of business hours, contact: Child Safety After Hours Service Centre.


Page 40 of 49

Resources Available under Resources is additional information on:

• Foster and Kinship Carer Handbook

• Child Safety Practice Manual

• Kicbox

• National Disability Insurance Scheme.


Page 41 of 49

My Profile

My profile allows you to create a profile that the CSO can share with a young person that has been approved to be in your care.

From the My Profile screen you can navigate to: Home (carer profile), Carer details, Approval Status and Reimbursements.

Our Home We encourage carers to share photos that are a true and current reflection of their household. Seeing photos can make a placement transition for a child in out of home care smoother.

Keep the profile friendly and relaxed, keeping in mind that the information will be shared with children.

Create Carer Profile Create your carer profile and add photos via the My Profile | Home screen.

To create your profile:

1. Select Edit, next to ABOUT US (or select the profile photo).

2. Enter your profile in the About us field (bottom of the screen).

3. Under Add new photos, select the camera or album icon.

4. Select a photo from the album, or take a new photo.

5. Select a photo from the album, or take a new photo.

6. Follow the same process for the other categories.

Please note that if you have other children in your care that are in the photos, do not state that they are children in care / foster children. Don’t include address details or full names (first name only is appropriate).

Only provide information that is relevant to you and your householde.g. you don’t have to upload a photo of a pet if you don’t have one.


Page 42 of 49

Carer details For each approved carer in the household a profile will be available. Information includes cultural details, contact information and blue card details.

Please note that business contact details won’t show in Carer Connect.

Carers will receive a notification four months and two months prior to their blue card expiring. A notification will also be issued when a household member is about to turn 18, advising that they will need to get a blue card.


Page 43 of 49

Approval Status Overview of approval status and placement preferences for all approved carers in the home.

If there is information in your profile that is out-of-date or you want to update your preferences, please contact your Agency support worker.


Page 44 of 49

Reimbursements Carers are able to submit reimbursement requests for pre-approved Child Related Costs through Carer Connect. The Reimbursements page is the starting point to create a new request and also shows the historical requests.

Key information

Create – commence your request

History of Request – view all the requests that have been submitted, including details like:

• Date of request

• Total cost of the request

• Reference number


Page 45 of 49

Create a reimbursement request Step 1. Choose the child for

whom the request pertains to. Only one child can be selected per request.

Step 2. Advise if you have spoken to a Child Safety staff member about this request. When selecting yes, a further field will appear asking to enter the name of the person you spoke to.

Step 3. Provide the rationale for the expense(s) being requested.

Step 4. Detail the individual items for reimbursement. Each item should be listed separately. Complete the Category, Description and Price details and then click Add Item and then fill out these fields again for the next item.

Step 5. Add photos of the receipt(s) that are the evidence. Multiple photos can be added to the request.

Step 6. Click Review button.

Helpful tips!

• Note that the child or young person still needs to be in your care.

• Each field must be completed in order to enable the Review button.

• Types of photos accepted are .png and .jpg.

• Ensure that the photo of the receipt has the place of purchase, date of purchase and relevent items listed.

• Clicking Cancel will remove any information added to the form and return the user to the Reimbursements page.


Page 46 of 49

Review and submit a reimbursement request

Step 1. Review all of the details that have been entered while creating the request.

Step 2. If any information needs changing, press the back button and make any corrections / additions. Then click the review button again.

Step 3. Once you have confirmed all information is accurate, click the Send button.

Step 4. Observe a success message at the top right hand corner of the screen.

You will be automatically routed back to the Reimbursements page.

The submission will be visible in the “History of Requests” section.

Helpful tips!

• It is important to ensure the information added is accurate and complete as the request cannot be edited once submitted.

• If you see a red error message when trying to submit, please email [email protected] for assistance.

mailto:[email protected]


Page 47 of 49

Change password Carers can change their password. First, enter the current password followed by the new password.

Note the password requirements for length and character requirements.

If you forget your password, there is an option on the log in screen to select: Don’t remember your password?


Page 48 of 49

Notifications

Select the notifications tab to display a pop-up menu listing the unread and read notices.

Select the hyperlink to read the associated notification in the notice board.

Unread notifications Read notifications

Log out

Select Log Out to return to the Login screen

The Carer Connect App will log you out after 15 minutes of inactivity.

Please ensure you log out when you have completed your activities. If using a computer/laptop please log out and close the browser.


Page 49 of 49

Appendix A: kicbox What is kicbox kicbox is a platform for recording a digital life story for children and young people in out of home care.

Think of kicbox as a digital version of a keepsake box – a place to safely and securely record a personal life story. Photos, documents, personal mementos – all the moments in time that underpin identity.

When does a kicbox account get created for children and young people? Once a child (of any age) is defined as being in a Care Arrangement, an account is created automatically.

This allows foster and kinship carers and Child Safety staff (that are working with the child) to start contributing to the account, and building the child’s digital life story.

How does a carer contribute to kicbox? Carers contribute to a child’s kicbox account through their Carer Connect account and will ideally be posting stories and photos at least once a month.

It is important for both foster and kinship carers to be contributing to kicbox, as it is using technology to help young people make sense of their experiences.

These contributions will always be visible to the carer, however contributions can only be made while the child is in a placement with the carer.

The child/young person’s Child Safety Officer will be notified of the contribution and will be able to view and modify the post, if required.

When can a young person be invited to use kicbox? There are a few pre-requisites for a child or young person to request access to their kicbox account. They are:

• Have been in a Care Arrangement for 30+ days;

• An age where they are able to be responsible online. This can be assessed by the Child Safety Officer and may include a discussion with the Safety & Support Network.

• Have their own email address to be able to log in and start using the platform.

If a child or young person in a placement meets these pre-requisites, provide the email address to the Child Safety Officer so they can invite them.

For more information Visit https://www.qld.gov.au/youth/family-social-support/kicbox

https://www.qld.gov.au/youth/family-social-support/kicbox