As this is a private report, the abstract has not been made visible.

How children and families get access to services and supports is critical to the provision of timely help and protective interventions. In this article, the major findings of the front door policies, processes, and practices used across 25 jurisdictions in developed countries are described and assessed. The use and outcomes of actuarial and consensus-based tools to assess risk of harm are examined, and the systemic limitations of such are explored including the potential for misapplication of the tools. Key issues and trends are identified including the increasing use of practice frameworks used in conjunction with risk assessment tools, the development of culturally safe approaches to practice, and the use of differential response to address relational problems such as service user hostility and referrals to community-based supports. The growing use of public health approaches to prevention was identified along with reform agendas to address the difficult task of building system communication, collaboration, and integration. The need for greater use of community development approaches to mobilize informal support networks for struggling families and communities is proposed. Because there are no “off-the-shelf panaceas” available, the importance of jurisdictions ensuring that system changes are undertaken with consideration of their local context and needs is highlighted by these developments.

The Youth Strategic Plan provides a clear strategic direction to guide and focus the manner in which Council, service providers and the broader community support and empower our young people. The Youth Strategic Plan seeks to:
•Guide and focus the community's collective work with and for young people
•Ensure that best-practice support and services are delivered for young people
•Utilise a strong evidence base to help the community better meet the needs and aspirations of our young people
•Ensure that young people are actively engaged and that the community is responsive to their needs
•Outline how young people will be empowered to participate in community life

This submission is directed towards the terms of inquiry, specifically (b.) and (c.) The submission will address rural challenges, training needs, remuneration, working conditions and working environment.

This submission draws on the findings of a research project conducted in 2019 at the University of New England, Faculty of Medicine and Health. This research was part of an Honours Thesis titled "Changing nature of the disability workforce under the NDIS in rural areas: Impacts for disability support workers" by Melissa van Leeuwen in conjunction with the supervisor team of Dr Stuart Robertson and Dr Erica Russ.

High rates of child protection reports in a regional local government area provided impetus for seeking better engagement with youth and community that would inform the council's youth strategic plan and community responses. This approach was seen as a step to address social issues relevant to youth and reduce child protection demand in the area.
The regional local government area was created in 2016 through merger of three smaller disparate local government areas. High needs, low socio-economic status, increasing child protection service demand, and limited cohesion and coordination due to previous funding arrangements based on past local government boundaries, were identified as contributing factors to youth issues in the area. The council was identified as key stakeholder and lead organisation by the state child protection agency. The council sought to enhance its coordination role with community agencies and build a more cohesive service network across the various communities. The state child protection agency was working with council to enhance local responses to identified needs, including targeted child protection, family support and youth services. To achieve this the council sought to undertake an independent consultation process that would engage with community, services, and importantly youth, to inform future planning and improved responses to youth needs.
This presentation will discuss the consultation and youth engagement process used and key findings that informed local government and local service strategic planning. The lessons from this process may be relevant to other regions in the development of youth strategic/action plans and community responses where high rates of child protection issues have been identified.