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The Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 specifically obliges Child Protection and home based care services to provide carers with information about the children in their care.

179 (1) States

“If the Secretary or an out of home care service intends to place a child in the care of a person other than the parent of the child the Secretary or out of home care service must provide the carer with all the necessary information that is known to the Secretary or the service and that is reasonably necessary to assist the carer to make an informed decision as to whether or not to accept the care of the child”

Section 179 (2) States

“If the Secretary or an out of home care service has placed a child in the care of a person other than the parent of the child, the Secretary or out of home care service must provide the carer with any information known to the Secretary or the service regarding the medical status of the child to enable the carer to provide appropriate care for the child”

The Child Protection Practice Manual advice number 1403: Information sharing in out of home care summarises the legislative obligations and specifically advises

“Child Protection practitioners must use and disclose personal information in the best interests of the child in a way that ensures good quality care is provided and ensures their safety, stability and development, and at the same time protects their privacy”

This will mean that carers (whether residential staff or home based carers) and workers from the placement agency who are directly involved with the child should expect to be provided with the following information

• Information that enables them to make a decision to accept the placement of a child or young person
• Information about the child or young person’s health issues or medical conditions
• The child or young person’s previous placement history
• Information about any specific developmental or behavioural issues
• Any specific information that has an impact on the safety of the child, young person, carer or others
• The names of the child or young person’s family, extended family and other significant people in their life
• The child’s culture and religion
• Any educational details relevant to the child or young person
• Court order details and conditions
• Regular updates on case direction from Child Protection
Of course, carers cannot reasonably expect to receive the following information
• Some personal background information about the child's family that is not relevant to the care of the child
• Copies of court reports
• Information that is not yet available despite everyone’s best efforts

Possible Referral Sources

Advice Number 1403 (Child Protection Practice Manual)
www.dhs.vic.gov.au