Guidelines for Referrals
Young People who are homeless or at risk of displacement from their family
Background – Kids Under Cover Services:
Kids Under Cover (KUC) is a not for profit organisation that builds and arranges the placement of studios at the properties of caregivers/families in the community for:
- Children and young people who require alternative accommodation and care and are subject to a Child Protection Order.
- Young people who are homeless or who are deemed eligible to be Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) clients (homeless or at risk of homelessness).
The Support for Families - Prevention & Early Intervention Program is a major focus for KUC and will provide families who have high and often complex needs with a service that will work towards avoiding family breakdown and hence the risk of either statutory involvement or homelessness for the child, young person or family.
Objective of the Program
Increasing the physical space within a home environment in order to improve the social and emotional interaction of the family. The primary focus is on ensuring that the health, wellbeing, safety and stability of a child or young person's life is sustained.
The particular focus of this program is to provide families with a Kids Under Cover studio complemented by a range of support services provided by Community Service Organisations (CSOs).
The provision of a studio to a family requiring a significant level of support is directed to preventing and avoiding family breakdown. These supports are intended to reduce the family's level of need and reduce the likelihood of involvement in child protection services.
Definitions:
Prevention – activity to stop a social or psychological problem from happening in the first place. The success of a prevention strategy would be measured by a reduction of the incidence of an identifiable problem within a specified risk group.
Family - in this instance 'family' is defined as a group of people including a child, and/or young person and an adult/s residing together, who are connected to each other by some type of relationship. The 'family' must take parental or caregiver responsibility for the child or young person,
Reunification - to promote and nurture the relationship between a child or young person with their parent/s or caregiver/s after it has been severed due to a communication breakdown or out of home placement.
Case Management - The development and coordination of a system of comprehensive services targeted to families who have a range of presenting issues. It includes an assessment of needs, development of a case plan, implementation of the plan, monitoring, review and case closure.
Eligibility Criteria
- A child or young person at risk of homelessness; or
- A child or young person who is being reunited with their 'family'; or
- A 'family' with children who are living in an environment that is detrimental to the physical, emotional, educational and psychological wellbeing of the child, young person or other family member.
- The child or young person must be residing in an environment where there is a 'family' member, ie parent or caregiver.
- The child or young person is not currently subject to a Child Protection Order and may be prevented from being subject to a Protection Order through provision of a KUC studio.
Note: If the child/young person is subject to a Child Protection Order then the referral should be made through the regional Child Protection office.
Case Management
The child, young person or family must have a case manager in the initial stages of the referral or be open to the concept of being case managed for a period of time.
The case manager must be employed by an agency that will undertake a broad assessment of the child or young person's needs in the context of the family (also entailing an assessment of the family's needs). The agency may provide family support services or provide a range of activities/services to families.
The agency must develop a case plan for the child or young person and family with short and long term goals included.
This case plan should include how the agency will continue to monitor the studio and outline what resources will be required (if any) beyond the life of the case plan.
There is an expectation that the agency will negotiate a transfer of auspice responsibility to another agency if they are unable to continue to comply with the monitoring responsibilities that KUC requires for the studio.
For example:
- Prior to case closure taking place the agency should contact KUC to either restate their intentions of fulfilling the responsibilities for monitoring the studios; or
- To state that the studio will be moved to another family's location if studio is no longer required at current location.
Further Information
Contact Project Manager at Kids Under Cover on 1800 801 633 or email kuc@kuc.org.au.
Prepared by the Service Development Unit of the Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Branch in conjunction with Kids Under Cover. February 2002
