Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Branch, Department of Human Services

The High Risk Infants Service Quality Initiative Project (HRI Project) commenced in mid 1997 to develop and implement initiatives to improve the overall quality of services delivered to infants at risk of significant harm from maltreatment.
The HRI Project was established after the Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Branch received recurrent funding to address particular concerns highlighted in the reports of the Victorian Auditor General (1997) and Victorian Child Death Review Committee including:

• inadequate risk assessment and risk management
• poor performance in court applications
• difficulties working with the wider service system.

Prior to the development of any initiatives, an extensive consultation process was undertaken to ascertain practice issues arising from work with infants and their families and to identify service gaps within the community for this vulnerable group. All Child Protection Regions were visited and a comprehensive consultation process was undertaken with practitioners working with high risk infants and their families both privately and in the wider community service system

In response to the messages from the consultation process, a number of initiatives were developed and implemented including:

Specialist Infant Protective Worker (SIPW) Positions
Twenty five statewide, specialist positions have been introduced to support and assist regional Child Protection workers to enhance service delivery to infants and promote networks with the wider service system. A High Risk Infant Project Manager was appointed in each region to develop and implement the project in a form that best met the needs of their specific Region. Each regional model will be described and analysed in the HRI Project Evaluation.

Flexible HRI Regional Budget
This budget supports the SIPW initiative and provides funds to purchase services or material goods for families. It can also be used to fund extra SIPW positions and to support training and professional development activities.

Parenting Assessment and Skill Development Services (PASDS)
These services are regionally based and provide a model of service consisting of a parenting capacity assessment service and a parenting skill development, education and support service to families who are caring for infants known to Child Protection Services and who are assessed as being at risk of harm. Services are flexible and provided on an in-home, day stay and residential basis. The assessment informs Child Protection decision making and in many cases, allows the mother and infant to reside together, with intensive supports, while the assessment of parenting capacity is undertaken. Results of the assessment process inform a tailored skill development program to assist the family to acquire the skills to care for the infant in a safe and nurturing manner.

HRI Project Evaluation
A comprehensive evaluation of the HRI Project and the individual initiatives commenced in January 1999 and has actively informed the development of the project over this consolidation stage. The evaluation's final report (excluding an extended evaluation of the PASDS) will be completed in the second half of 2000 and will be publicly launched. Interim evaluation reports have helped to identify practice issues that require Child Protection attention including:

• domestic violence - present in over 55% of cases
• substance abuse - present in up to 50% of cases
• very young parents - more than 40% of cases

Other early findings, especially from statewide audits of infants' case files, include more positive outcomes and evidence of better decision making for families when SIPWs are involved with planning; and positive statements from Child Protection workers, the legal system, and community agencies about the value of the HRI Project initiatives.