Page 1240 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 2021
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committed, and we need to ensure that good, experienced staff are supported to stay in these critical jobs.
That is why the last round of enterprise bargaining saw a new child and youth protection professional classification structure established under the ACT public sector technical and other professional enterprise agreement 2018-21. The CYPP classification structure contains provisions to improve CSD’s ability to compete in the marketplace to recruit and retain suitably qualified staff to work in front-line child protection roles.
These include: provisions for CYPP staff to move from the CYPP level 1 to level 2 and from level 2 to level 3 classifications based on competency-based advancement, which is a higher predictor of success in the role than traditional interview and application-based forms of recruitment; the introduction of a CYPP advancement scheme, which is designed to recognise, retain and reward outstanding generalist and specialist practice in the areas of child protection and/or youth justice; and the introduction of a CYPP paraprofessional scheme, under which employees will be supported to complete a bachelor degree in social work, psychology, social welfare, social science or a related discipline, while attaining valuable on-the-job experience. Employees will then advance to the CYPP 1 classification following attainment of their qualification and satisfactory work performance.
The CYPP classification structure also acknowledges the significant contribution that individuals with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or other cultural heritage and experience bring to improving outcomes for children and young people. Other work underway across CYPS includes: embedding the recommendations from the Glanfield inquiry into CYPS practice; continued co-location of external services, such as OneLink, the sexual assault and child abuse team of the AFP, and Education and Health Directorate liaison officers; and the implementation of the Safer Families collaboration in partnership with the Domestic Violence Crisis Service.
The collaboration uses the Safe and Together model, which is an international, evidence-based model to assist child welfare professionals to become more domestic violence informed. The Safer Families collaboration also includes embedding two DVCS staff within CYPS to provide expert consultation, advice and attend joint home visits as appropriate.
Other work includes: since 2016, providing a five-day training course to staff on working with families affected by family and domestic violence; achieving agreed information-sharing protocols between states and territories and establishing an interstate liaison officer position within CYPS; implementing the co-location of child protection practitioners and policing officials at the family law courts; establishing an information-sharing reference group, where CYPS and AFP staff meet each month with co-located officials in other jurisdictions and oversee information provided to the courts; the establishment of a national child protection information-sharing system called Connect for Safety, which went live in September 2020 and the Community Services Directorate has actively participated in this work at a national level; and implementing, in October 2020, a new “notice of child abuse, family violence or risk”
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