Considerations when responding to information received

Updates made to this guidance

We have added more points to consider related to the experience of harm and family violence, visual information such as social media posts, cultural considerations that may make it harder for whānau to connect with services, gender experience, housing instability, and offending.

Focus on te tamaiti or rangatahi

• What is the impact of this situation on te tamaiti or rangatahi?
• What is te tamaiti or rangatahi experiencing?
• Has te tamaiti experienced harm of a chronic and cumulative nature, for example, ongoing exposure to family violence?
• Has the referrer spoken with te tamaiti or rangatahi? If so, what did te tamaiti or rangatahi say?
• What is the whānau or family view of the impact of the situation on te tamaiti or rangatahi?
• Value visual information (for example, photos) on mobile texts and social media posts.

Whānau or family responsiveness and services

• Has the referrer spoken with the whānau or family of te tamaiti or rangatahi? If so, what was the response?
• Does whānau or family have a shared view of the situation and concerns or do different opinions or tensions exist between the parents and wider whānau or family?
• What is the whānau or family connectedness to whakapapa, hapū, iwi or extended family support?
• Are there factors impacting on the capacity or willingness of the whānau or family, such as disability, trauma, illness, substance abuse, family violence, harmful allegiances or criminal activity?
• Are there community or iwi/cultural services and partners that could meet the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi and whānau or family?
• Are there cultural considerations that may make it harder for this whānau to connect with services?
• If community or iwi/cultural services and partners are currently involved, what impact is the service having on the current needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi and whānau or family?

Safety and oranga

• Is there a safe adult willing and able to meet the immediate safety and oranga needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi?
• Will that safety be compromised by another person (for example, perpetrator of family violence returning)?
• What is the ability of wider whānau or family to add safety?
• Are there other factors that help mitigate oranga concerns or reduce the risk of harm identified by using our models, tools or resources?
• Is the safety and oranga of siblings or other tamariki or rangatahi in the same household being considered?
• Are there concerns around risk to longer-term oranga?

Tiaki Oranga

Organising my practice

Notifier’s relationship with te tamaiti or rangatahi and/or whānau or family

• Who did the information come from? Did the whānau or family share this information directly with the notifier? Has te tamaiti or rangatahi told us this through a previous disclosure or interview? Has the information been received from a professional working with the whānau or family? 
• What is the relationship between te tamaiti or rangatahi and/or the whānau or family and the notifier?
• How does the relationship inform the notifier’s knowledge of concerns, context and situation for te tamaiti or rangatahi? What does this tell us about their knowledge and understanding of the needs, strengths, risks and oranga for te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family?

Vulnerability, pattern and impact

• Is te tamaiti or rangatahi currently in care or custody?
• Are there other factors that make te tamaiti or rangatahi particularly vulnerable, such as age, disability, trauma, gender experience, instability of housing or transience, or cognitive or developmental issues?
• Is there a pattern (frequency and severity) that raises concerns?
• Consider cumulative harm and intergenerational trauma. What impact and effects are past and current experiences having on te tamaiti or rangatahi?
• Have care and protection concerns previously been identified? If so, what actions were taken and what was the outcome?
• How is the parent's own history of trauma or childhood harm potentially impacting on their care or decision-making for te tamaiti or rangatahi?

Willingness and capacity

• Do te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family acknowledge the need for additional supports?
• Is there motivation by the whānau or family to engage?

Offending

• Has te tamaiti or rangatahi committed an offence?
• What is the nature of this offence?
• Are police or Youth Aid involved?
• Is there a current youth justice status? Any known alternative action?
• Is te tamaiti or rangatahi involved with an Oranga Tamariki specialist team?
• Do the concerns relate to offending, arrest or incarceration of a parent or usual caregiver?
• Are there concerns regarding the impact of offending, arrest or incarceration on te tamaiti or rangatahi?
• If incarcerated, is the parent making decisions about alternative care arrangements for te tamaiti or rangatahi with support of whānau or family or in isolation from them?
• Do the circumstances of the offending impact on the ability of the parent or usual caregiver to make safe and appropriate decisions for te tamaiti or rangatahi?
• Consider whether family violence is a factor on the current situation for te tamaiti offending, or whether the parent or usual caregiver is able to make safe, appropriate decisions for te tamaiti.

Where tamariki, rangatahi, whānau or family contact us directly, this can tell us important information about the concerns. It is important that we hear and respond to the voice of tamariki, rangatahi, whānau and family.

As part of determining the appropriate response for te tamaiti and their whānau/family, in some circumstances it may be appropriate to speak directly with tamariki, whānau/family as part of our initial assessment. Understanding how whānau/family see the situation for te tamaiti, whether they have concerns or are stepping in to provide support, can help us reach a decision about the appropriate response.

Even when there are other proceedings in the Family Court (for example, Care of Children Act proceedings or Adoption Act proceedings), we must still consider the report of concern and the need for assessment. 

Intake and early assessment

Understanding need is an ongoing process of building and deepening our understanding to inform whānau or family and professional decision-making.
Intake and early assessment