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A safety plan is a list of things you, your family, your support people and the caseworker need to do to make sure your child is safe. It is not a legal document.
Your safety plan includes a list of things affecting your child’s immediate safety. These are called dangers. Next to each danger is a plan about what will be done to keep your child safe straight away, as well as who will do it and when. These are called tasks. You should develop these tasks together with the caseworker and anyone else who is part of the safety plan.
A task could be something that you need to change about what you do at home. It might be something you need to stop or start doing like, for example, keeping drugs out of the house. Other tasks could be that someone in your family comes to your home to help care for your child at certain times. Or that a caseworker has someone come to your home urgently to clean or take dangerous items away.
The safety plan asks you to act now to keep your child safe in your home. The safety plan is an immediate plan for safety, not a long-term plan.
The caseworker will check with you how the safety plan is going. They will explain how often they will check in with you until the home is safe. Other people who support you and your community may also have tasks and actions in the safety plan..
You and the caseworker make the safety plan together. Your child can also take part. They have a right to tell DCJ what they need to feel safe. You have a right to make the plan together. If this does not happen, ask the caseworker.
If you don’t feel this process is fair, see who you can speak to in the feedback and worries section.
Tell the caseworkers what you think needs to happen to make your child safe. Tell the caseworkers what you need from others. Ask questions about what might be on offer to help you. Have someone with you or take notes. You have the right to have a support person at all meetings.
Have someone you trust with you when writing your safety plan. This person can help make sure you get a break or support you if you feel overwhelmed or upset. Stress makes it hard to hear and remember. Having someone to talk to about it all later can help. A family support worker or parent advocate may be able to be with you.
Caseworkers will take notes on paper, their phone or iPad. You can do the same or ask the caseworker to share what they have written with you.
You are entitled to have a say in this process and so is your family. It is important that your voice is heard. Legal Aid NSW can help explain your options and give you free legal advice.
If you are a person with disability, you have the right to have a safety plan that matches your abilities. The caseworker needs to make sure the safety plan is easy to understand and should ask who and what you need to understand the safety plan and to do the tasks. This may be an advocacy service. If you have an intellectual disability the Intellectual Disability Rights Service can advocate for you. You can call them on 1300 665 908.
If you do not speak English an interpreter can work with you and the caseworker to develop the safety plan in a language you understand. You or the caseworker can call Translation and Interpreter Services (TIS) on 131 450.
The caseworker will check with you to see how you are going with the safety plan. They need to keep reviewing the plan until the dangers are no longer there. They will also talk with you about how long you have to do each task. Sometimes the plan will change. Changes need to be written and given to you.
If your plan changes without you knowing, talk to the caseworker or see the people you can talk to in the feedback and worries section.
If it is hard for you to do all the tasks in the plan, let the caseworker know. Be honest about what is happening so you can get more help. Following a safety plan can be stressful, even scary. Get lots of help from people who care about you and your child.
If something gets in the way of you following the safety plan, let the caseworker know straight away. You and the caseworker may need to take another look at the tasks. If the tasks are not realistic, they may need to change to keep your child safe.
After the safety plan is made, the caseworker keeps working with your family. They can link you to services and people who can help you keep your child safe. You can also get help yourself.
Learn more about services that help children and families in NSW.
A caseworker asking you questions about your family may cause a lot of emotions like shame, anger, fear or relief. This is normal. You can ask the caseworker for time to gather your thoughts. It is important you have people who can support you and who can be with you for meetings. There are also lots of services who can help.
Learn more about what support services are available to you.
If your child is unsafe, they will not be able to stay with you. In some cases you can agree to have your child cared for by someone else. This is called a temporary care arrangement.
In other cases your child will be placed somewhere else without your agreement. This is called a removal, assumption or bringing a child into out of home care.
Learn more about what happens if your child needs to come into care.
05 Jul 2024