This procedure outlines the process for undertaking and recording the intake risk assessment in the intake phase of child protection practice.
For additional advice on conducting the intake risk assessment, see Risk assessment – advice and Assessing and managing family violence in intake phase - procedure.
An intake risk assessment informs a decision about report classification and is required to be recorded on CRIS for all confidential reports to Child Protection and for:
- Conciliation counselling
- Court report request
- Hague convention request
An intake risk assessment is not required for unborn child reports, wellbeing advice only, or interstate requests. For unborn child reports complete an adult brief MARAM assessment tool focused on the adult victim survivor, if no current MARAM assessment has been completed by another service.
Case practitioner tasks
- Use the information stored in the essential information categories and obtained by seeking, sharing, sorting and storing information to:
- Determine the consequence of harm and record in CRIS (severe, significant, concerning, or insufficient evidence of harm).
- Determine the probability of harm and record in CRIS (very likely, likely, or unlikely).
- Analyse the relationship between the consequence and probability of harm to determine the intake judgement decision and the outcome of the report. Record this decision in CRIS.
- Refer to the intake judgement matrix for guidance (SAFER children framework, page 59)
Professional judgement is used at each step of the intake risk assessment to inform decision making about a child or young person’s safety and the need for protective intervention.
In circumstances where the consequence of harm is either severe or significant, and the probability of harm is either likely or very likely, then a decision to classify as a protective intervention report should be considered.
In circumstances where the consequence of harm is severe, the decision to classify as a protective intervention report and progress the investigation as urgent should be considered, regardless of the probability of harm level.
The intake consequence and probability of harm matrix supports decision-making.
- In consultation with your supervisor or team manager:
- use your risk assessment (consequence and probability of harm judgements) to inform the report type (protective intervention report, child wellbeing report, inappropriate or insufficient information)
- for the report type of protective intervention, use your risk assessment (consequence and probability of harm) to inform the priority (standard, or visit in two days), which will determine the urgency
- Submit the intake risk assessment for endorsement to a team manager or above.
Supervisor tasks
- Provide ongoing supervision and consultation.
Team manager / practice leader tasks
- Provide ongoing supervision and consultation.
- Endorse the intake risk assessment.
- Record a clear rationale for closure where the report is not classified as protective intervention, where the intake risk assessment determines the consequence of harm is either severe or significant and probability of harm is likely or very likely.