Who is leading the change
- Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services revise and strengthen its risk management practice guidelines and procedures for circumstances when a report to Child Protection has indicated the presence of family violence. Practice and procedural guidelines should be updated to require the child protection practitioner to:
- without delay, obtain from Victoria Police and any specialist family violence service all police referrals (L17 forms) and the results of any risk assessments that have been performed in relation to the child who is the subject of the report and their parents or other relevant family members
- ensure that the full text of any risk assessment is recorded in the Child Protection Service’s Crisis Referral Information System notes
- without delay, provide to Victoria Police the results of any risk assessment completed by the department that indicates a risk of family violence to a child or young person, so as to support Victoria Police in bringing an application for a family violence intervention order in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria. The department should ask that police provide feedback on whether an application to the court has been made
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The Child Protection Family Violence Steering Committee (Steering Committee) has been established to drive the implementation of recommendations relating to child protection practice and systems. The Steering Committee has been meeting since August 2016 and comprises representatives from across government, the family violence sector, family services and Aboriginal organisations. At their next meeting in November 2018, the Steering Group will be advised that Recommendation 27 is now complete.
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The Department of Health and Human Services considers recommendation 27 is complete and implemented as: The L17 Family Violence Portal commenced operation in December 2016.
Victoria Police has provided the Department of Health and Human Services historic L17 Family Violence reports, back dated to August 2004.
The L17 Family Violence Portal has been upgraded to hold and display the historic Victoria Police L17 Family Violence reports and the uploading of Victoria Police L17 Family Violence historical reports is now complete.
New and revised supporting child protection advice and procedures are available on the child protection manual alerting the child protection workforce to provide Victoria Police, upon request, the result of any risk assessment completed by child protection where there is an indication of family violence.
- Implemented.
Reviewed 17 May 2020