A quick guide to decision making
If you are a long-term carer and parental responsibility has been allocated to the Minister of DCJ, then you will be responsible for making many of the day-to-day decisions about your child. However, certain decisions can only be made by your agency (whether that's DCJor a non-government agency). There are also a small number of decisions that can only be made by DCJ.These guides give you some basic information about which decisions you can make on your own, and which need input from your agency. If you're not sure whether you can make a decision in a particular situation, or if you need help to organise approval either from your agency or from DCJ, contact your caseworker.
Care arrangements
Carers must always keep their caseworkers informed about anyone who has regular contact with the child in their care. DCJ may need to do a Working With Children Check (WWCC) on that person, even if they are a partner or family member.
CARE ARRANGEMENTS | Carer | Agency |
Assistance and support Coordinate the involvement of agencies or services to meet the needs of the child in relation to things like health, education, vocation or disability | ||
Contact Make decisions around contact with birth family and significant others | ||
Contact Arrange and help maintain contact with birth family and significant others (unless it is determined that supervised contact is needed) | ||
Sharing information Provide information to parents on whereabouts of child or young person | ||
Moving interstate You caseworker will contact DCJ for approval and/or management of a carer's move interstate with the child or young person | ||
Ending the placement Remove the child or young person from a placement | ||
Life Story work Preparing and helping the child to record information in their Life Story work | ||
Media and public appearances where the out-of-home care status and/or identity of the child is not revealed Give permission for appearances where there are no safety risks | ||
Media and public appearances where the out-of-home care status and/or identity of the child is revealed You caseworker will contact DCJ for approval for these appearances |