Safety in care (SC) file cluster

DSS specific information:

The person identifier (ID) is the identifier for the child (the child protection client). Each ID is used by only one client and each client has only one ID.

DSS specific information:

'Letters of name' is collected as one item in cell number 2 in the Safety in care file of the CP National minimum data set (NMDS).

The 2nd, 3rd and 5th letters of the client's family name are combined with the 2nd and 3rd letters of the client's given name to obtain the 5 digit letters of the client's name.

For children who were unborn at the time of the notification and who were subsequently born by 31 August, letters of name should reflect the name given to the child following birth.

DSS specific information:

'Letters of name' is collected as one item in cell number 2 in the Safety in care file of the CP NMDS.

The 2nd and 3rd letters of the client's given name are combined with the  2nd, 3rd and 5th letters of the client's family name to obtain the 5 digit letters of the client's name.

For children who were unborn at the time of the notification and who were subsequently born by 31 August, letters of name should reflect the name given to the child following birth.

DSS specific information:

This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.

For children who were unborn at the time of the notification, estimated age can be calculated (e.g. – 1 month if due to be born in one month) from which an estimated date of birth (DOB) can be determined.

For children who were unborn at the time of the notification and who were subsequently born by 31 August, date of birth should be updated where possible.

When an estimate is required, all known fields should be entered (e.g. if only year is known use 01/01/YYYY, if year and month are known use 01/MM/YYYY.

If the date is not known and cannot be estimated, record as 01/01/1900.

If it is not applicable to record a date (i.e. the child has not been born by 31 August), record as 01/01/9999.

DSS specific information:

In the Safety in care (SC) file cluster this data element is recorded twice:

1. to show whether an estimated date of birth was recorded (cell number 4);
2. to show whether an estimated date of substantiation was recorded (cell number 9)

Code 9 'Not stated/inadequately described' in the data element is equivalent to code 99 in the Child protection NMDS collection manual.

DSS specific information:

For unborn children whose sex is unknown, 97 'Not applicable' should be recorded.

Code 9 'Not stated/inadequately described' in the data element is equivalent to code 99 in the Child protection NMDS collection manual.

DSS specific information:

Record 5 'Indigenous - not further specified' where no differentiation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is made. This code is used in the CP NMDS and is not mappable to the Indigenous status standard.

Code 9 'Not stated/inadequately described' in the data element is equivalent to code 99 in the Child protection NMDS collection manual.

DSS specific information:

This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.

Conditional obligation:

Only to be used when more than one type of abuse has been identified.

DSS specific information:

Four separate data items are used to collect the other types of abuse identified as part of the substantiation: physical abuse (cell number 11); sexual abuse (cell number 12); emotional abuse (cell number 13); and neglect (cell number 14).

DSS specific information:

Code 7 'Not applicable' in the data element is equivalent to code 97 in the Child protection NMDS collection manual.

Code 9 'Not stated/inadequately described' in the data element is equivalent to code 99 in the Child protection NMDS collection manual.