Casework responsibilities when our work involves more than 1 site

Ngākau whakairo

What are my responsibilities to te tamaiti or rangatahi, and their whānau or family, as they become involved with another team within Oranga Tamariki?

Ngākau whakairo practice framework domain

Whai mātauranga

How will I ensure I understand and accurately share all relevant information, from a range of perspectives, with the other site? How will I do this to ensure the narratives of te tamaiti or rangatahi and the whānau or family are respected, and that they do not need to repeat what they have told us previously?

Whai mātauranga practice framework domain

Whai oranga

How will I ensure that te tamaiti or rangatahi is able to maintain and strengthen healthy relationships, connections and whanaungatanga networks throughout this period of change? 

Whai oranga practice framework domain

Whai pūkenga

What skills and practices will I employ to ensure te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family receive a seamless, accessible and responsive social work service?

Whai pūkenga practice framework domain

Whai ākona

How am I bringing closure to my relationship with the tamariki and rangatahi and whānau or family I am working with?

Whai ākona practice framework domain

When a tamaiti or rangatahi moves permanently to a new site area

We must follow the standard case transfer process when a tamaiti or rangatahi moves permanently to a new site area.

Case transfer process

Policy: Transitions within care

Guidance: Transitioning between placements

Guidance: Supporting whānau connections

When approved caregivers or adoptive applicants move permanently outside of area

We must follow the standard case transfer process when approved caregivers or adoptive applicants move to a new site area, whether or not they have a tamaiti or rangatahi currently in their care.

Case transfer process

The receiving site must ensure that the caregivers or adoptive applicants are visited by their new caregiver social worker within 10 working days of the transfer being accepted to make them aware of the supports available to them in their new area.

Policy: Review of caregiver approval

Policy: Caregiver support

When there is no allocated social worker

When there is no allocated social worker, the site manager in the originating site must negotiate the case transfer directly with the site manager of the receiving site.

If there is a family group conference plan agreed but there is no allocated social worker, the site managers must negotiate the case transfer together with the convening coordinator and the relevant care and protection or youth justice coordinator at the receiving site.

When there is a family/whānau agreement in place

When there is a family/whānau agreement in place and the family/whānau is intending to move to a new area, the social worker in the originating site must review the agreement with the family/whānau before the move and identify whether ongoing support is needed.

Where it is agreed that further social work involvement is needed, the case must be transferred using the standard case transfer process.

Case transfer process

The allocated social worker at the receiving site must meet with the family/whānau to update the agreement to reflect the supports and services available in the new community.

If the family/whānau has moved without the knowledge of the originating site and needs ongoing support, the same case transfer process applies.

When there is an open family group conference record at time of transfer

When there is an open family group conference record at the time of transfer, the receiving and originating sites must ensure the family group conference team leaders (youth justice or care and protection) are aware of the case transfer.

In these situations, the originating site:

• must, before the move, provide relevant information to the site nearest to the intended location of te tamaiti or rangatahi and record it in CYRAS – this includes the circumstances of te tamaiti or rangatahi, where they are, for how long and who the originating site contact is
• retains casework responsibility – the key social worker remains responsible for ensuring the All About Me plan for te tamaiti or rangatahi is being implemented and their needs met
• updates the All About Me plan before the move
• can request that a co-worker from the site nearest to where te tamaiti or rangatahi is living be appointed for the duration of their stay to provide support, including visiting te tamaiti or rangatahi, as specified in the plan.

Policy: All About Me plan

If the plan changes and te tamaiti or rangatahi is going to stay in the other region, the originating office is responsible for requesting a case transfer as per the standard case transfer process.

Case transfer process

For a full caregiver assessment

The social worker for te tamaiti or rangatahi must complete an assessment of the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi and record this in Tuituia and the All About Me plan.

The caregiver social worker for the originating site must complete:

• the immigration status check
• the identity check
• the police vetting process
• the search of CYRAS, TRIM and CGIS records.

The caregiver social worker in the receiving site:

• assists with the identity check if required
• completes all other required assessment tasks, including medical and referee checks, assessing support needs, interviews and the home visit
• liaises with the social worker for te tamaiti or rangatahi to ensure that the prospective caregiver has the right supports to meet their unique needs
• ensures the prospective caregiver receives the required information and pre-approval training
• assesses all relevant information and writes the report stating if the prospective caregiver is suitable to provide care
• prepares the special considerations report if the approval requires special consideration.

Policy: Caregiver and adoptive applicant assessment and approval

When holding a caregiver assessment hui:

• the social worker for te tamaiti or rangatahi must attend, either in person or by telephone or video conference
• the receiving site must provide an appropriate staff member to facilitate.

Guidance: Assessment interviews and hui

For a provisional caregiver assessment

The caregiver social worker in the originating site (where practicable in the circumstances) or the social worker for te tamaiti or rangatahi must complete:

• the identity check
• the police vetting process
• the CYRAS and CGIS check.

The receiving site will:

• assist with the identity check if required
• complete the interview with the prospective provisional caregiver
• complete the home visit.

Guidance: Giving provisional approval

The supervisor from the originating site must:

• speak with a supervisor in the receiving site to advise on the plan for te tamaiti or rangatahi and the reason for the transfer – wherever possible, this must be completed before the move
• work alongside the receiving site's supervisor to arrange a handover meeting that includes relevant kaimahi from both sites.

This handover meeting should include the:

• social workers
• caregiver social workers and/or supervisors (if te tamaiti or rangatahi is in our care)
• care and protection or youth justice family group conference team leaders or the allocated coordinators if there is an open family group conference record
• kairaranga ā-whānau or other Māori specialist practitioners when the transfer involves tamariki or rangatahi Māori – in some cases, kairaranga ā-whānau at both sites may already be involved with the whānau, hapū and iwi as part of the case transfer preparation and planning
• Pacific or other cultural advisors appropriate to the background of te tamaiti or rangatahi
• regional disability advisors, if relevant.

The meeting must also consider:

• whether there are tikanga or other cultural practices that need to be observed to facilitate a smooth transition for te tamaiti or rangatahi, their whānau or family and caregivers
• who will complete any required tasks, including meeting the immediate needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family during the process of case transfer
• whether there are any issues identified regarding case planning or practice that require a child/young person and family consult to be held between the originating and receiving sites.

Child/young person and family consult

The handover meeting must occur before the case transfer unless the move is unexpected (in this case, the meeting must occur as soon as possible after the move).

• Ensure all relevant information including complexity, risk and safety planning is up to date and shared before the meeting – if a caregiver's approval was subject to special consideration, this information must be shared with the receiving site at this meeting.
• Ensure a summary of the content of the meeting is saved to the record for te tamaiti or rangatahi.
• Request a transfer through CYRAS – the transfer will include all case records and any paper files being transferred to the receiving site.
• Ensure that all of the records for te tamaiti or rangatahi are up to date (including a current Tuituia assessment and All About Me plan where relevant) and any outstanding tasks have been completed before te tamaiti or rangatahi moves. Where this is not possible, outstanding work must be completed within 10 working days of making the transfer request.

A supervisor from the receiving site must accept the transfer in CYRAS and allocate a key social worker within 5 working days of receiving the request.

Caregiver records are transferred from region to region in CGIS. A conversation must be had with the receiving region's supervisor and Caregiver Recruitment and Support manager and be recorded in the CGIS caregiver record.