Family Based Assessment

After the safety assessment, the caseworker will keep learning and understanding more about your family to complete another assessment called the Family Based Assessment. The Family Based Assessment is done whether your child was found to be safe, safe with plan or unsafe during the safety assessment. Sometimes you might get a different caseworker. This depends on staff changes or your family’s needs.

The Family Based Assessment will include learning about your family’s life now and in the past, and what life is like from your child’s perspective. It includes things like your history of alcohol or other drug use, mental health, and domestic violence, as well as what is happening in your life now that may hurt your child. It is also important for DCJ to hear what is going well for your family, your strengths and how you have overcome difficulties in the past.

DCJ uses the Family Based Assessment to help decide if your child could be hurt in the future because of what is happening in your family. If your family does not have enough support to keep your child safe in the future, they will decide your child is in need of care and protection. This is the legal term used when a child is at risk of significant harm (ROSH) and DCJ needs to take action to make sure children are safe and cared for.

If your child is not in need of care and protection. DCJ does not need to keep working with your family.

If DCJ decides your child is in need of care and protection, they will continue working with your family. The caseworker’s next step is to work with you and your network to develop a Family Action Plan for Change.

When the caseworker has worked with you on your Family Action Plan for Change for three months, they will review the plan with you and your network and do a measuring change assessment. The measuring change assessment looks at the progress your family has made as well as any new worries for your child’s safety. They will look at what this means for your child’s future safety and wellbeing. If there has been enough change, DCJ can stop working with your family. This is sometimes called closing the case.