3.1 Placement and Transition of a Young Person into and out of Department Therapeutic Residential Care Houses
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Last Modified:
08-Apr-2024
Review Date:
08-Apr-2025
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| Purpose |
To provide information on best practices and related documentation required when assessing the suitability of a Therapeutic Residential Care arrangement for a young person, and supporting their smooth transition in and out of a Therapeutic Residential Care House.
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| Practice Requirements |
Eligibility and Matching - Referrals to Therapeutic Residential Care Houses are managed through Communities' One Referral Pathway for Out-of-Home care arrangements. The Care Arrangement Hub (the Hub) considers the young person's needs, informed by the Care Arrangement Referral (CAR), the Needs Assessment Tool (NAT), and care arrangement capacity across the OOHC sector.
- Therapeutic Residential Care Leadership and Care Arrangement Hub must assess the eligibility of a young person and any suitable matches to a Therapeutic Residential Care house.
- Residential care settings can be high risk if the collective needs of the young people in the house are not well understood, or the Residential Care house is not able to meet the collective needs. The matching process is therefore critical to ensuring that each residential care house provides a therapeutic and healing environment for all the young people who reside there.
- The Eligibility and Matching Guidelines and Referral Assessment and Matching Summary under Related Resources must be used when determining the eligibility of a young person for Therapeutic Residential Care, and a suitable Therapeutic Residential Care House. Some exemptions may be made under exceptional circumstances for emergency arrangements and with appropriate approval.
- Residential Care workers, with appropriate case management staff, must undertake initial and ongoing assessment, review and planning for how the care arrangement will tailor supports to the individual needs of the young person. This includes the provision of resources required to deliver therapeutic care.
- If a child has reporting conditions under the Community Offender Reporting Act 2004, that child cannot be placed in a Therapeutic Residential Care arrangement with other children.
- The Department of Communities (the Department) must not knowingly place a young person who is subject to reporting conditions under the Community Protection Offender Reporting Act 2004 in Therapeutic Residential Care with other young people.
- If it becomes known that a young person has these reporting conditions, and they are in a Therapeutic Residential Care arrangement with other young people, a more suitable care arrangement must be arranged for that young person as soon as possible. Refer to the Casework Practice Manual 2.1.2 Care arrangements for young people considered a risk to others.
- Therapeutic Residential Care should not be seen as an option of last resort, and best practice is to avoid emergency admissions where possible.
Supported Transitions - A young person's transition in or out of a Therapeutic Residential Care House must be carefully planned. The young person should be supported to be involved in the transition process.
- All young people entering a care arrangement at a Therapeutic Residential Care House must be accompanied by a responsible adult, or otherwise negotiated with the manager (on-call).
- The procedures and guidelines set out in the Welcome to Care package (see related resources) must be followed to safely transition the young person into the home environment. Residential Care Workers must ensure the young person is provided with the Charter of Rights along with developmentally appropriate information about their care arrangement, the residential care house, their rights and how they can provide feedback.
- Each child must have an Individual Crisis Support Plan. Refer to 4.3 Individual Crisis Support Plans.
- All property brought into the house by a young person must be checked to make sure that nothing of a dangerous nature is brought into the home. This may need to be done on a regular basis if Residential Care Workers believe that inappropriate or dangerous items are being brought into the home. Refer to 4.9 Search and Seizure.
- Case management staff are responsible for taking the lead on care arrangement planning and transitions in and out of care arrangements. Case management staff are responsible for arranging access to appropriate leaving care services for young people leaving the care of the CEO (this includes all young people leaving the care of the CEO, not only those ageing out of care aged 15 years or older). Residential Care Workers must support this process and facilitate smooth transitions, including offering support to the young person preparing for adult responsibilities.
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Procedures- Eligibility and Matching
- Before the Care Arrangement
- Transition to Therapeutic Residential Care Houses
- When the Young Person First Arrives
- Transition from Therapeutic Residential Care Houses
- Emergency Out of Hours Care Arrangements
Eligibility and MatchingWhere a district-based care arrangement is not available for a young person, the district is responsible for providing a detailed and up-to-date CAR and NAT level. The Hub is then required to review all information provided to match the young person with the most appropriate care arrangement to meet their individual and long-term care needs. (See 3.4.21 Care Arrangement Referral) Should Therapeutic Residential Care be considered a potentially suitable arrangement, the Hub must consult with Therapeutic Residential Care Leadership on the eligibility of the young person and any potential match to a Therapeutic Residential Care House. At minimum, approval from Therapeutic Residential Care Leadership is required if the care arrangement has any of the following characteristics:
- The young person is aged 10 to 11 years (or younger);
- The young person has a significant disability (such as physical disability that requires significant support (such as high intensity personal supports or manual handling), or severe intellectual and/or developmental disability);
- The young person has a medical, psychological, or neurodevelopmental diagnosis that significantly impacts their adaptive functioning (such as diabetes, dissociative disorder, autism, etc);
- The new care arrangement would result in the Therapeutic Residential Care House exceeding maximum capacity (maximum of four young persons per Therapeutic Residential Care house);
- A temporary or emergency care arrangement is required, and the Therapeutic Residential Care House is not designated as a transitional house.
See Eligibility and Matching Guidelines and Referral Assessment and Matching Summary under Related Resources.
Before the Care ArrangementThe young person's case manager and the House Manager should have a therapeutic care arrangement planning meeting before the young person enters Therapeutic Residential Care. The House Manager should also allocate a key worker before the young person is transitioned into the care arrangement. Case management staff are responsible for providing any available documentation to support the transition of the young person and safeguard them and others. This should include the current Care Arrangement Referral. Residential Care Workers should read the documentation provided about the young person's care history, support needs, and known behaviours of concern.
Transition to Therapeutic Residential Care HousesThe young person and their case manager should plan a visit to the house before the care arrangement commences. At this visit: - The young person's case manager accompanies the young person to the Therapeutic Residential Care House.
- In collaboration with the young person and their wishes, establish a daily plan and routine and develop an Individual Safety Plan that will inform the provision of therapeutic care.
- Schedule the date for a therapeutic care planning meeting to occur within 10 working days.
When the Young Person First ArrivesWhen a young person first arrives at the house, the Residential Care Worker greeting the young person should focus on reassuring them and helping the young person to settle in: - Welcome the young person.
- Introduce themselves, other young people and Residential Care Workers.
- Show the young person around the house – their bedroom, bathroom, common areas, etc.
- Support the young person to understand what is happening - answer any question's they have.
- Discuss the house's guidelines and expectations, and ensure they have a copy of the Charter of Rights.
Transition from Therapeutic Residential Care HousesBefore the young person transitions to their next care arrangement, a planning meeting to map out the young person's care needs and processes must be undertaken. The district, and the child's case manager are responsible for planning the transition process. Residential Care Workers must assist with this process and support the young person's smooth transition. For more information refer to Casework Practice Manual entry 3.4.15 Leaving the CEO's care and transitioning to adulthood.
Emergency Out of Hours Care ArrangementsTherapeutic Residential Care should not be seen as an option of last resort and best practice is to avoid emergency admissions where possible. Emergency admissions to Therapeutic Residential Care Houses are disruptive to the long-term therapeutic care of young people in the house and present a significant risk to them and workers. Where a young person requires an after-hours Emergency Care, the relevant district is responsible for contacting the Crisis Care Unit to discuss the young person's care arrangement needs and possible options. Therapeutic Residential Care may be explored as an exceptional circumstance after every effort has been made to place the child with a more suitable option. The on-call Director Residential Care has final approval over an emergency care arrangement in a Therapeutic Residential Care House. The emergency out of hours care arrangement can only be made for one night, ending at 9am the following day (unless the following day is a non-working day, in which case the emergency arrangement can continue until the next business day). Following the care arrangement ending the young person returns to the district office, which must undertake planning immediately to source an appropriate care option for the young person. For more information refer to Casework Practice Manual entry 3.4.22 Emergency care in regional districts.
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