This date should be recorded when the investigation commences by a departmental case worker after the contact assessment decision is made. How the investigation commences will vary. For some it will be a phone call, for others it will be a visit to the child and/or persons involved with the child.
This data element should always be recorded as an 8-digit valid date comprising day, month and year. Year should always be recorded in its full 4-digit format. For day and months with a numeric value of less than 10, zeros should be used to ensure that the date contains the required 8 digits. For example, if the investigation commenced on 1 July 2004, the date the investigation commenced should be recorded as 01072004. If the date is unknown, the date 01011900 should be provided
Comments:
This is important to measure the length of time between the receipt of a contact and the commencement of an investigation. It is also used to measure the length of time of the investigation.
Source and reference attributes
Submitting organisation:
National Child Protection and Support Services data group (NCPASS).
Origin:
Child protection and support services data dictionary. AIHW Version 1.0 Oct 2005.
