3.4.22 Emergency care in regional districts
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Last Modified:
06-Mar-2024
Review Date:
N/A
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| Overview |
Emergency Care arrangements are for children or young people 0 to 17 years old who require emergency care outside work hours and are managed by referral to Communities Crisis Care Unit (CCU). The One Referral Pathway in related resources sets out the referral process to an OOHC Provider that Communities must use during work hours. If the district is aware that it is likely that a child will not have a care arrangement by the end of the work day, they should identify their referral to the Care Arrangement Hub (Hub) as "urgent" from 3pm. In these instances, the Hub will attempt to locate an Emergency Care arrangement between 3 to 5pm, after which the referral is sent to CCU for follow-up as an Emergency Care arrangement. In the event that Emergency Care is sought after 5pm by a regional district they should use their existing district on-call procedures to contact CCU. The process is to exhaust all local and internal Emergency Care resources, such as care arrangements with district Community Foster Carers or safe family members. If the regional district cannot source Emergency Care from their local resources, they should liaise with CCU to explore Emergency Care arrangements with their regional Temporary Care Homes or Residential Care Houses.
Out of hours is considered: between 15:00pm to 08:00am Monday to Friday; and from 15:00pm Friday to 08:00am Monday (all weekend).
👉 Throughout this entry, the term 'child' is referred to for both children and young people.
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Information and Instructions- Temporary Care Home
- Residential Care - Emergency Care
- Dispute resolution
Temporary Care HomeTemporary Care Homes can be considered as an option for Emergency Care when a regional district has exhausted all other options. Temporary Care Homes cater for children aged up to 12 years with low to moderate needs as assessed by the Needs Assessment Tool (NAT) levels 1 to 3, and do not pose risks to other children. Temporary Care Homes may accept children outside these parameters with approval from the managing district director. Children older than 12 years with a NAT level 1-3 may be accepted in a Temporary Care Home for one night, subject to safety planning before entry to the home by the district's on-call staff, and with district director approval to mitigate any risks posed to the existing Temporary Care Home residents. If a child aged up to 12 years with more complex needs enters the Temporary Care home additional staffing support should be considered to provide increased supervision and to support the stability of the home environment. The maximum period Emergency Care can be provided at a Temporary Group Home is three months, and subject to the house dynamics and approval from the district director. Planning and assessment for alternative care arrangements for children who are outside the Temporary Care parameters must be undertaken the next work day. The managing district retains case management responsibility for children in a Temporary Care home. Collaborative planning occurs between the managing district, the child's Care Team, Aboriginal Practice Leader (APL), family, and the OOHC Provider managing the Temporary Care home. This planning process explores other long term placement options for the child in Emergency Care. An emergency referral to a Temporary Care Home after hours must be recorded on Assist by CCU. The time of the referral must be recorded accurately to identify the referral as an emergency care arrangement.
Residential Care - Emergency CareChildren over 12 years of age with more complex needs (NAT levels 4-5) who may pose risks to other children can be assessed for their suitability to enter a regional district Residential Care Home. Residential Care can be explored as an exceptional circumstance after every effort has been made to place the child with relatives, a Community Foster Care, or a contracted OOHC Provider. When after hours Emergency Care is required the regional district should contact CCU to discuss the child or young person's placement into the local Residential Care House. The on-call Director Residential Care must provide final approval.
In exceptional circumstances children under 12 years of age with NAT levels 4-5 may also be considered for entry into Residential Care on an emergency basis. This must be approved by the on-call Director Residential Care before the referral is made.
The Referral and Placement Principles and Protocols in related resources and matching considerations outlined in the Residential Care Practice Manual (RCPM) should be applied for children or young people being considered for Residential Care, notwithstanding any exceptional circumstances for emergency care arrangements. The process for referring a child to Residential Care (including out of hours referrals) is outlined in the entry Placement and Transition of a Child into and out of Department Residential Group Houses (Metro and Country) in the RCPM.
Residential Care should not be seen as an option of last resort and best practice is to avoid emergency admissions where possible. However, for those instances where this is not possible, an Emergency Care referral for a child to enter a regional Residential Care House is subject to the following parameters: The child is aged 12-17 years. An emergency out of hours Residential Care placement is sought via Crisis Care for one night with approval from the on call Director Residential Care. The district must undertake planning immediately the next day to source an appropriate care option for the child. Before a child's admission, the district on call staff must follow the procedures in chapter 2.1 Care arrangements for children considered a risk to others and complete interim safety planning using the Residential Care template Individual Crisis Support Plan (formerly known as Safety Plans in related resources to complete safety planning to safeguard others in the House.
The child's Individual Crisis Support Plan must be approved by the district director and the on call Director Residential Care. Potential safety concerns should be identified with the on call Director Residential Care. The on call Director Residential Care has the final decision making authority about accepting a child or young person into a Residential Care House. When the child enters Residential Care, the managing district's on call worker must provide Residential Care staff with relevant documentation (as much as is practicable after hours) about the child to support their entry and minimise disruption for other residents at the Residential Care House. If a child has reporting conditions under the Community Offender Reporting Act 2004 they cannot be placed in a Residential Care arrangement with other children. The managing district must arrange a priority meeting following the child's discharge from Residential Care with the child and their Care Team to explore placement options, either local resources or referral to the Hub. An Aboriginal Representative Organisation should be consulted, where relevant, to explore potential family options.
An emergency referral to Residential Care after hours must be recorded on Assist by CCU. The time of referral must be recorded accurately to identify the referral as an emergency care arrangement.
Dispute resolutionIt is expected that the need for a dispute resolution process will be limited, and any disputes should be resolved cooperatively and quickly where possible. The Act makes provision for an application for a review of a care planning decision by the CEO to made by the child, the child's parent, the child's carer or any other person considered by the CEO to have a direct and significant interest in the wellbeing of the child. for more information refer to chapter 3.4 Care Plan Decisions and the Care Plan Review Panel. 👉 Case workers should consult with their team leader before commencing the dispute resolution process below: When disputes arise relating to Residential Care arrangements, escalate to the Director Residential Care and Director Out of Home Care Hub. If a resolution is not reached within three (3) working days the District Director, Director Residential Care, or Director Care Arrangement Hub should refer the matter to the District Director OOHC Stream for escalation and review to the Executive Director Statewide Services. Final decision-making delegation sits with the Executive Director Statewide Services. Any disputes after hours should be resolved cooperatively and quickly where possible. The case worker should consult with the team leader before escalating the matter to the district director Statewide Referral and Response and either the Director Residential Care (afterhours) or the on-call Executive Director.
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