Related Websites

Service Directory

Lists public services provided by Children and Families Division such as Child  and Youth Health, Adoption and Domestic Violence service.

Healthy Living

Information about life stages such as having a baby, kids and youth health and wellbeing.

NEW: New Directions for Child Protection in Tasmania: June 13, 2008

NEW: Future Communities Action Plan: Out of Home Care

NEW: Future Communities Action Plan: Family Services

Vulnerable Families Final Report

Family Support and Child Protection Reports

Review of the Sexual Assault Support Service System

DHHS Family Partnership Training

Children and Family Services

Children and Family Services (CAFS) consists of four Area Teams and one Program Development and Statewide Services team. The Area Teams are situated in the Northern, North Western, Southern Western and South Eastern regions, the boundaries of which align with the Departments of Education (DoE) and Police & Emergency Management's (P&EM) boundaries. Each Area Team aims to provide services to children and families located within their region. Services range across the three service platforms - universal, secondary and tertiary level services - from child health and parenting services through to statutory child protection services.

Child protection services in Tasmania are being redeveloped to more fully align services with community needs and expectations. This redevelopment work will see restructuring of a number of aspects of child protection including intake, out of home care, family support and child protection practice.

Area Teams

Services provided by each Area Team include:-

• Child Health and Parenting Services (formerly the Family, Child and Youth Health Service) which provide information, population health screening, and early intervention services for children and families. Services are provided from child health centres throughout the State, child development units in the north and northwest and three regional parenting centres. Collaboration with local communities through schools, neighbourhood houses and local organisations will be strengthened;
• Support and Therapeutic Services will provide psychological counselling and support for clients of CAFS. The model for the service will be developed during 2007-08;
• Child Protection Services which provide care and protection services for children through Child Protection Intake, assessment, case management and out-of-home care teams;
• Family Violence Counselling and Support Service which provide professional services to assist children, young people and adults affected by family violence. This service is part of the Safe at Home initiative; a Tasmanian whole of Government response to family violence.

Program Development and Statewide Services

The key teams under Program Development and Statewide Services include:-

• Program Development Unit - The Program Development Unit (PDU) is responsible for the co-orindation of the development, implementation and review of policies and programs for use within the Children and Family Services (CAFS) business unit. The PDU also participates in strategic planning in collaboration with the key stakeholders.

  Programs and policies are developed for implementation across three broad categories of service delivery. These include universal, secondary and tertiary services, with some programs affecting all three categories or service. Current programs include activities affecting child health, family support, family violence, child protection and adoption services.

  In order to ensure the effective development, implementation and review of its work, the PDU maintains strong links with both internal and external stakeholders in both the public and the private sector including:-

  • Australian Government agencies;
  • State Government agencies;
  • Governments in other states and territories;
  • Local government;
  • Central business units within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS);
  • Area managers and area liaison officers with CAFS;
  • Non-government organisations; and
  • Advocacy and lobby groups.

  The PDU is involved in a range of projects relating to recent reviews of CAFS business and recommendations for its reform. These projects relate to the reform of Tasmanian's child protection system, the reform of processes which underpin CAFS business, and changes to the family support service. The PDU has a key role to play in effectively managing the necessary changes to business processes and policy and program implementation. As part of implementing changes to CAFS business, the PDU will need to ensure that its future work supports both universal and secondary programs as well as the important field of tertiary intervention.

• Information Technology Group;
• Adoptions; and
• The Quality Improvement Unit (QIU).

Liaison and Children's Services Projects

The position of Director, Liaison and Children's Services Projects is jointly funded by the DoE and DHHS to enhance collaboration between CAFS and the DoE. This position has responsibility for a number of areas including:-

• The planning and implementation of recommendations in the recent Child Protection review reports that relate to improved collaboration between DoE and DHHS.
• Coordination of the Children's Therapy Services Improvement Project;
• Management of the Professional Learning and Induction Team within CAFS.

Community Sector Relations

The Community Sector Relations team administers the Community Support Program which funds services to be provided by community sector organisations including Neighbourhood Houses, Family Support Services and Sexual Assault Support Services. Area teams will work in partnership with community sector organisations to provide support to vulnerable families.

Community Sector Relations is also comprised of the Gambling Support Program (GSP) which administers the majority of the functions described in the Gaming Control Act 1993. This includes managing gambling support services delivered by the community sector, undertaking research projects, community education and health promotion activities as well as overseeing the administration of the charitable grants program. The GSP also works collaboratively across government and with the Tasmanian Gaming Commission to administer the Community Support Levy.

Community Sector Relations is also responsible for liaising with the community sector on behalf of the DHHS. This includes liaison with the Tasmanian Council of Social Services (TasCOSS), implementation of the Community Sector Learning and Development Program as well as chairing regular community sector forums on behalf of DHHS.

Office for the Commissioner for Children is an independent, statutory office responsible to the Parliament of Tasmania. The Commissioner’s functions include promoting the rights and well-being of children along with examining the policies, practices and services provided for children and any laws affecting their health, welfare, care, protection and development.