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Child protection and support services (CPSS) - notifications, investigations, and substantiations NMDS (July 2007)

Identifying and definitional attributes

Metadata item type:Help on this termData Set Specification
METEOR identifier:Help on this term314520
Registration status:Help on this term
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 01/05/2008
DSS type:Help on this termNational Minimum Data Set (NMDS)
Scope:Help on this term

The Child Protection and Support Services National Minimum Data Set (CPSS NDMS), is designed to capture information on all children and young people involved in the child protection systems throughout Australia. There are three collections within the CPSS NMDS, all of which are unit record data. The first is the child protection specific data, which includes contacts, notifications, substantiations and services provided. The second is data on children who are on care and protection orders. The third is data on children in out-of-home care.

Child protection contacts, notifications and substantiation data collection.

All contacts made to the child protection authorities during the collection period should be included. Also, any contact that was made during a previous reporting period that was finalised in the collection period should also be included.

A contact is where the community services department receives, records and assesses initial information about a concern regarding maltreatment and/or welfare of a child. This includes contacts made by persons or other bodies where there are concerns about a child. They can include allegations of child abuse or neglect, maltreatment or harm or risk of harm to a child. They may also include broader concerns about the health and well-being of a child. Contacts do not include brief calls where the department can be of no assistance, for example if the caller has a concern about a child’s educational attainment, this would most likely be redirected to the education department, and should not be recorded as a contact.  Contacts are relevant to persons who are aged 0–17 years, and to unborn children in jurisdictions where they are covered under the child protection legislation.

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:Help on this termNational Child Protection and Support Services (NCPASS) data group
Steward:Help on this termNational Community Services Information Management Group (NCSIMG)
Origin:Help on this termChild protection and support services data dictionary. AIHW Version 1.0 Oct 2005.
Reference documents:Help on this termChild Protection and Support Services National Minimum Data Set Data Collection manual. AIHW Sept 2005.

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:Help on this term
Has been superseded by Child protection and support services (CPSS) - notifications, investigations, and substantiations NMDS pilot (2008)
  • Community Services (retired), Retired 06/02/2012

Metadata items in this Data Set SpecificationHelp on this term

Show more detail
Seq No.Help on this termMetadata itemHelp on this termObligationHelp on this termMax occursHelp on this term
-Child protection and support services (CPSS) care arrangements clusterOptional1
-Child protection and support services (CPSS) client clusterMandatory1
-Child protection notification—assessment decision date, DDMMYYYYOptional1
-Child protection notification—assessment decision type, code NOptional1
-Child protection notification—care and protection order flag, code NConditional1
-Child protection notification—contact date, DDMMYYYYOptional1
-Child protection notification—employment service type, code N[N]Optional1
-Child protection notification—investigation commencement date, DDMMYYYYOptional1
-Child protection notification—investigation conclusion date, DDMMYYYYOptional1
-Child protection notification—investigation outcome, code N

DSS specific information:

In the Child Protection NMDS, the following applies to this item's guide for use in its value domain:

CODE 1 Substantiated

A finalised investigation is classified as ‘substantiated’ where there is reasonable cause to believe that the child has been, is being, or is likely to be abused, neglected or otherwise harmed. Substantiation does not necessarily require sufficient evidence for a successful prosecution and does not imply that treatment or case management was, or is to be, provided.

CODE 2 Not substantiated

A finalised investigation is classified in this category where a investigation has concluded that there is no reasonable cause to suspect prior, current or future abuse or neglect or harm to the child.

CODE 3 Investigation not finalised

Where the investigation was ongoing at the end of the reporting period.

CODE 4 Investigation not able to be commenced or completed

Where every effort has been made to investigate the concern, but was not possible. Includes children who have moved interstate or absconded.

Optional1
-Child protection notification—out-of-home care flag, code NOptional1
-Child protection notification—relationship to child of person believed responsible, code NNOptional1
-Child protection notification—relationship to child of source of notification, code N[N]Optional1
-Child protection notification—unborn child status, code NMandatory1
-Child—abuse and neglect type, code N

DSS specific information:

In the Child Protection NMDS, this data element can be collected twice:

  • the primary type of abuse or neglect; and
  • the secondary type of abuse or neglect.

Where more than one type of abuse or neglect has occurred, the primary type of abuse should be the most serious type of harm, as determined by the investigating officer.

The secondary type of abuse or neglect should also be used where there is more than one abuse type recorded. The second most serious abuse type, as determined by the investigatory officer, should be provided.

Optional1
-Person (address)—Australian postcode, code (Postcode datafile) {NNNN}

Conditional obligation:

In the Child Protection NMDS, this data element is collected a minimum of three times:

  • the postcode where the child was living at the time of the contact;
  • the numeric descriptor for a postal delivery area aligned with locality, suburb or place and defined by Australia Post for the residential address of the child immediately prior to entering out-of-home care for the first time; and
  • the numeric descriptor for a postal delivery area, aligned with locality, suburb or place and defined by Australia Post for the specific address of the out-of-home care placement.
Optional1
-Person (address)—suburb/town/locality name, text A[A(49)]

DSS specific information:

In the Child Protection NMDS, this data element is collected a minimum of three times:

  • the suburb/town/locality name where the child was living at the time of the contact;
  • the full name of the general locality containing the specific residential address of the child immediately prior to their entry into their first ever out-of-home care placement; and
  • the full name of the general locality containing the specific address of the out-of-home care placement.
Optional99
-Person—person identifier, (child protection and support services) NX[X(13)]

DSS specific information:

This data element is implemented three times in the Child Protection NMDS. It is collected for the following three items:

  • a code that uniquely identifies a client within a state or territory’s child protection system (unique client identification number);
  • the unique identification number of a child who is the sibling of (or who has a significant attachment with) the subject child and who was living in the same home as the child. This includes biological, adopted, foster, step or half-brother or sisters (client sibling/significant other identification number); and
  • a code that uniquely identifies a caseworker within a state or territory’s child protection system (unique caseworker identification number).

The unique client identifier should be assigned by the state or territory community services department when the child first comes in contact with the department. The child should retain the same unique identifier across time. This data element should be recorded for each child for each contact, care and protection order and out-of-home care episode.

Any sibling of the child subject to the contact should be identified. This code should be used in conjunction with ‘Unique client identification number’ to ensure consistency of identification numbers.

Each caseworker is to be assigned a unique ID by the Community Services department that will be retained by the caseworker and will remain unique to the caseworker through time. Within each state and territory, each caseworker should be identified by a code using consistent format. The identifier should be assigned by the state or territory community services department when the caseworker is first employed in this role. The caseworker should retain the same unique identifier across time.

Conditional1
-Service event—assistance type, child protection code NOptional1
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