The material contained in ACWA's ‘Children’s Court Training Resources’ Pack was developed in 2016, and some of the information may be now out of date. ACWA will be reviewing these resources in due course. For further information, please contact acwa@acwa.asn.au
For Managers and Caseworkers
ACWA has developed this package of training resources for out-of-home-care managers and team leaders working within non-government organisations to assist with staff development. The package focuses specifically on Court work and other legal issues arising from their staff’s work under the NSW Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 No.157.
It contains three resources, which include a manual and two DVDs. The price covers the cost of producing the manual, with the two DVDs included at no charge.
1. A Manager’s Guide to Report Writing and Documentation for the Children’s Court
This manual was developed by ACWA’s Best Practice Unit in consultation with Salvos Legal to assist staff development and improve internal processes for providing reports and documentation for the Children’s Court. The guide has been divided into four sections:
Section 1: provides an overview of the essential information that organisations need to be aware of when working with a child or family whose case is before the Children’s Court.
Section 2: provides managers and team leaders with practical suggestions to support the development and implementation of internal processes to carry out this work.
Section 3: provides a range of guidelines and tools that can be printed or photocopied to use in supervision with frontline staff, displayed in offices and discussed in team meetings.
Section 4: provides a resource list for further reading.
2. ‘Giving Evidence in Care Proceedings in Children’s Court’ DVD
This DVD and accompanying facilitator guide was produced with the financial assistance of the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW and is intended for use in introductory and refresher training for caseworkers and managers who may be called to give evidence in Care Proceedings in the Children’s Court in NSW.
Caseworkers and managers using this DVD would need to have a fundamental knowledge of the Children’s Court in NSW, the Children and Young Person’s (Care and Protection) Act 1998 and Care Proceedings, either through prior work or through training - for example “Legal Issues” and “Affidavit and Report Writing” training delivered through ACWA/CCWT.
A supporting slide pack for this DVD, including all the slides used throughout the video is available.
3. ‘The Role of NGOs in the NSW Care and Protection System’ DVD
This DVD and accompanying facilitator guide was produced with funding from ACWA and is based on a presentation given by Luke Geary, Managing Partner, Salvos Legal & Salvos Legal Humanitarian; General Counsel at ACWA’s Sydney premises in October 2015.
The DVD outlines the evolving role and influence of NGOs in child protection decision-making. It outlines the main principles of the ‘Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 No.157’ legislation and specifically looks at care plans, care orders, evidence and case management. Key s76 and s82 reports as well as affidavits are also mentioned.
A supporting slide pack for this DVD, including all the slides used throughout this video is available.
Package Copyright
Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies, Salvos Legal and the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, 2016.