1 Child protection (CP) client file cluster Mandatory 1 1 Person—person identifier, child protection NX[X(11)] 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.
The person ID in the Child protection client file must appear in at least one of the Notifications, investigations and substantiations (NIS), Care and protection order (CPO) and/or Living arrangements for children under care (LA) files. All person IDs in the NIS, CPO, LA, National out-of-home care standards, and Sibling files must appear once in the client file.
Mandatory 1 2 Person—letters of family name, text XXX DSS specific information:
'Letters of name' is collected as one item in cell number 2 in the Client 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.
Mandatory 1 3 Person—letters of given name, text XX DSS specific information:
'Letters of name' is collected as one item in cell number 2 in the Client 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.
Mandatory 1 4 Person—date of birth, DDMMYYYY 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.
Mandatory 1 5 Person—sex, code N 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.
Mandatory 1 6 Person—Indigenous status, code N 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.
Mandatory 1 7 Person—main language other than English spoken at home, code (ASCL 2016) N[NNN] Mandatory 1 8 Person—disability status, yes/no/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Within the Child protection (CP) client file cluster disability is defined as follows:
"Disability is the umbrella term for any or all of: an impairment of body structure or function, a limitation in activities, or a restriction in participation. Disability is a multidimensional concept, and is considered as an interaction between health conditions and environment and personal factors. It refers to a limitation, restriction or impairment which has lasted, or is likely to last for at least six months and restricts every day activities."
For unborn children, 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.
Mandatory 1 9 Child—new client indicator, yes/no/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Code 9 'Not stated/inadequately described' in the data element is equivalent to code 99 in the Child protection NMDS collection manual.
Mandatory 1 2 Notifications, investigations, and substantiations (NIS) file cluster Mandatory 1 1 Person—person identifier, child protection NX[X(11)] DSS specific information:
The identifier should match the child's identifier in the Child protection (CP) client file cluster.
Mandatory 1 2 Child protection notification—notification date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 3 Person—Australian state/territory identifier, code N DSS specific information:
The state/territory of the child’s usual place of residence at the time of the notification.
For children residing outside Australia record 99 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’.
Mandatory 1 4 Address—suburb/town/locality name, text X[X(45)] DSS specific information:
Any valid suburb, town or locality name of the child's usual place of residence at the time of notification. May be 'No fixed abode' or 'Not known'.
For children residing outside Australia record ‘Overseas’.
Mandatory 1 5 Address—Australian postcode, code (Postcode datafile) NNNN DSS specific information:
The postcode of the child's usual place of residence at the time of notification.
For children residing outside Australia record 9999 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’
Mandatory 1 6 Address—statistical area, level 2 (SA2) code (ASGS Edition 3) N(9) DSS specific information:
The Statistical Area level 2 (SA2) of the child's usual place of residence at the time of the notification. Record 99 for 'Not stated/inadequately described'.
Mandatory 1 7 Child protection notification—source of notification, code N[N] Mandatory 1 8 Child protection notification—course of action, code N Mandatory 1 9 Child protection notification—course of action decision date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 10 Child protection notification—investigation commencement date, DDMMYYYY Conditional obligation:
Conditional on the outcome of the notification assessment deeming investigation necessary.
DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 11 Child protection notification—investigation conclusion date, DDMMYYYY Conditional obligation:
Conditional on the outcome of the notification assessment deeming investigation necessary.
DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 12 Child protection notification—investigation status, code N[N] DSS specific information:
Conditional on the outcome of the notification assessment deeming investigation necessary.
Mandatory 1 13 Child—household parental care type, code N[N] DSS specific information:
Refers to the care type at the time of notification of child abuse or neglect.
Mandatory 1 14 Child—primary type of abuse or neglect, code N[N] Mandatory 1 15 Child—other type of abuse or neglect, code N[N] 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 15); sexual abuse (cell number 16); emotional abuse (cell number 17); and neglect (cell number 18).
Mandatory 4 3 Care and protection order (CPO) file cluster Mandatory 1 1 Person—person identifier, child protection NX[X(11)] DSS specific information:
The person identifier (ID) is the identifier for the child (the child protection client) within a State or Territory. The person ID in the Care and protection order file must appear in the Child Protection client file.
Mandatory 1 2 Order—order start date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
'Order start date' is the date the Care and protection order came into effect and must be equal to or preceding 'Order end date'. Valid date occurs on or before the 31 August reference period.
When an estimate is required, all known fields should be entered (e.g. if year and month are known use 01/MM/YYYY; if the exact date is unknown but the reporting period to which it relates can be determined, use 01/07/YYYY). If the date is not known and can't be estimated, please record 01/01/1900.
Mandatory 1 3 Order—order type, care and protection code N[N] Mandatory 1 4 Child—first care and protection order indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Where a first order is indicated and there are other orders starting on the same date, all of these orders should be coded 1 ‘Yes – first instance of a care and protection order in this jurisdiction’.
Code 7 'Not applicable' in the data element is equivalent to code 97 in the Child protection national minimum data set collection manual.
Code 9 'Not stated/inadequately described' in the data element is equivalent to code 99 in the Child protection national minimum data set collection manual.
Mandatory 1 5 Order—National Out-of-Home Care standards (NOOHCS) order indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Code 7 'Not applicable' in the data element is equivalent to code 97 in the Child protection national minimum data set collection manual.
Code 9 'Not stated/inadequately described' in the data element is equivalent to code 99 in the Child protection national minimum data set collection manual.
Mandatory 1 6 Order—order end date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
'Order end date' is the date the care and protection order is no longer applicable and must be equal to or later than 'Order start date'. Valid date, if applicable, occurs between 1 July of the first reporting period and 31 August following the last reporting period. When an estimate is required, all known fields should be entered (e.g. if year and month are known use 01/MM/YYYY; if the exact date is unknown but the reporting period to which it relates can be determined, use 01/07/YYYY). If the date is not known and can't be estimated, please record 01/01/1900.
If it is not applicable to record a date (i.e. the order had not ended by the end of the reference period, or was a finalised adoption order without an end date) please record 01/01/9999 for this item.
Mandatory 1 7 Service episode—episode start date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Where the care and protection order was part of a preceding continuous order episode, this item records the start date of the first order in the episode.
An order episode is the period of time in which a child remains on an order. During this period, a child may be on one or more different orders. If a child is discharged from an order and a new care and protection order/arrangement is applied in five (5) days or less of the discharge, the orders are deemed to be consecutive (i.e. the continuous episode of care will include both order). However, a break of more the five (5) days will break the continuity of care.
Valid date, if applicable, occurs on or before 31 August following the reference period. Date must precede 'Order start date'.
When an estimate is required, all known fields should be entered (e.g. if year and month are known use 01/MM/YYYY; if the exact date is unknown but the reporting period to which it relates can be determined, use 010/7/YYYY).
If the date is not known and can’t be estimated, record 01/01/1900.
If it is not applicable to record a date (i.e. the order was not part of a preceding continuous order episode, or if codes 11–13 were recorded for ‘Order type –national’), please record 01/01/9999.
Mandatory 1 4 Living arrangements for children under care (LA) file cluster Mandatory 1 1 Person—person identifier, child protection NX[X(11)] 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. The person ID in the Living arrangements file must appear in the Client file.
Mandatory 1 2 Service event—living arrangement start date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 3 Address—suburb/town/locality name, text X[X(45)] DSS specific information:
The suburb/town/locality name of the child's living arrangement.
For children residing outside Australia record ‘Overseas’.
Mandatory 1 4 Address—Australian postcode, code (Postcode datafile) NNNN DSS specific information:
The postcode of the child's living arrangement. Record code 9999 for 'Not stated/inadequately described'.
For children residing outside Australia record 9999 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’.
Mandatory 1 5 Address—statistical area, level 2 (SA2) code (ASGS Edition 3) N(9) DSS specific information:
The Statistical area level 2 (SA2) of the child's living arrangement. Record 99 for 'not stated/inadequately described'.
Mandatory 1 6 Service event—financial payment indicator, living arrangement code N[N] Mandatory 1 7 Service event—living arrangement type, child under care code N[N] Mandatory 1 8 Service event—respite placement indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N Conditional obligation:
Conditional on the child living in a funded out-of-home care placement provided by a funded agency.
DSS specific information:
This data collection uses an alternate code set.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7 ('Not applicable') in the data element.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9 ('Not stated/inadequately described') in the data element.
Conditional 1 9 Person—relationship of carer to child, code N[N] Mandatory 1 10 Service event—Indigenous agency placement indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N Conditional obligation:
Conditional on the child being Indigenous and living in a funded out-of-home care placement provided by a funded agency.
DSS specific information:
This data collection uses an alternate code set.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7 ('Not applicable') in the data element.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9 ('Not stated/inadequately described') in the data element.
Conditional 1 11 Carer household—caregiver type, Indigenous child caregiver code N[N] Conditional obligation:
Conditional on the child being Indigenous and living in a funded out-of-home care placement provided by a funded agency.
DSS specific information:
For the purpose of this data element cluster, the object class of this data element is understood to include residential care and family group homes, which are not private households.
Conditional 1 12 Carer household—household identifier, child protection identifier NX[X(11)] DSS specific information:
Each carer household has only one ID. Each ID is only used by one carer household.
Each carer household may include one or more authorised carers (i.e. one or more Carer (person) IDs may be recorded under each carer household ID).
Code 97 'Not applicable' should be recorded if it is not applicable to record carer household ID (i.e. if the child is not living with a carer in a funded out-of-home care placement (e.g. living with parents, independent living, other living arrangements)).
For the purpose of this data element cluster, the object class of this data element is understood to include residential care and family group homes, which are not private households. This means that the carer household ID in the Carer household authorisation file will be a subset of the carer household ID in the Living arrangements file as residential care and family group homes are not included in the scope of carers in the carer household authorisation file.
Mandatory 1 13 Service event—living arrangement end date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 14 Service episode—episode start date, DDMMYYYY Conditional obligation:
Conditional on the child being in a funded out-of-home care placement.
DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Where the funded out-of-home care placement was part of a preceding continuous episode of care, this is the start date of the first placement in the episode.
Episode of care is the period of time in which a child remains in out-of-home care. During this period, a child may have one or more different out-of-home care placements, including placements lasting less than 7 days. If a child has a return home or break of less than 60 days before returning to the same or different placement they are considered to be continuously in care during this period. However, any break of 60 days or more is deemed to be an exit from out-of-home care and will break the continuity of care.
Valid date, if applicable, occurs on or before 31 August following the reference period.
The date must be preceding 'Living arrangement start date'.
Note: All funded out-of-home care placements lasting less than 7 days should be included when determining the start date of a continuous episode of care.
When an estimate is required, all known fields should be entered (e.g. if year and month are known use 01/MM/YYYY; if the exact date is unknown but the reporting period to which it relates can be determined, use 01/07/YYYY).
If the date is not known and can’t be estimated, record 01/01/1900.
If it is not applicable to record a date (i.e. the living arrangement is not a funded out-of-home care placement or was not part of a preceding continuous episode of care e.g. this is the first placement in an episode of care), please record 01/01/9999.
Conditional 1 15 Service episode—funded out-of-home care placement, number N[NN] Conditional obligation:
Conditional on the child being in funded out-of-home care placements.
DSS specific information:
This item should reflect an iterative count of the number of unique placements as at each record in the episode. If this cannot be provided, the total unique placements for the episode can be recorded.
Conditional 1 16 Child—reunification type, code N[N] Mandatory 1 5 Carer household authorisation file cluster Mandatory 1 1 Carer household—household identifier, child protection identifier NX[X(11)] DSS specific information:
Each carer household has only one identifier (ID). Each ID is only used by one carer household.
Each carer household may include one or more authorised carers (i.e. one or more Carer (person) IDs may be recorded under each carer household ID).
Note: The carer household ID in the Carer household authorisation file will be a subset of the carer household ID in the Living arrangements file as residential care and family group homes are not included in the scope of carers in the Carer household authorisation file.
Mandatory 1 2 Carer household—care authorisation type, code N[N] Mandatory 1 3 Carer household—care authorisation start date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 4 Carer household—care authorisation end date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
If it is not applicable to record a date (i.e. the authorisation had not ended by the end of the reference period), please record 01/01/9999.
Mandatory 1 5 Carer household—new carer household indicator, yes/no/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 6 Carer household—Indigenous status, yes/no/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 7 Carer household—authorised carer, total number N[N] Mandatory 1 6 National out-of-home care standards (NOOHCS) file cluster Mandatory 1 1 Person—person identifier, child protection NX[X(11)] DSS specific information:
This identifier is for the child.
Mandatory 1 2 Child—case plan required indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Refers to a case plan at 30 June in the reference period.
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 3 Child—current case plan indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Refers to a current case plan at 30 June in the reference period.
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 4 Child—leaving care plan required indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Refers to a leaving care plan at 30 June of the reference period.
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 5 Child—current leaving care plan indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Refers to a current and approved current leaving care plan at 30 June in the reference period.
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 6 Child—cultural support plan required indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Refers to a cultural support plan at 30 June in the reference period.
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 7 Child—current cultural support plan indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Refers to a current cultural support plan at 30 June in the reference period.
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 8 Child—initial health check required indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 9 Child—initial health check conducted indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
This data collection uses an alternate code set for this data element.
Code 97 ('Not applicable') should be mapped to Code 7.
Code 99 ('Not stated/inadequately described') should be mapped to Code 9.
Mandatory 1 7 Sibling file cluster Optional 99 1 Person—person identifier, child protection NX[X(11)] DSS specific information:
Each child protection client (child) has a unique person identifier (ID). Each person ID is used by only one client and each client has only one ID.
The person ID of the subject child in funded out-of-home care and the person ID of each known sibling (of the subject child) in a funded out-of-home care placement on the night of 30 June (regardless of whether they are in the same placement) is recorded.
For each two-person relationship each person identifier will be recorded twice; once as the subject child Person ID and once as the sibling Person ID.
Mandatory 1 2 Person—sibling relationship, biological code N[N] Mandatory 1 8 Safety in care (SC) file cluster Mandatory 99 1 Person—person identifier, child protection NX[X(11)] 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.
Mandatory 1 2 Person—letters of family name, text XXX 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.
Mandatory 1 3 Person—letters of given name, text XX 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.
Mandatory 1 4 Person—date of birth, DDMMYYYY 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.
Mandatory 1 5 Date—estimate indicator, code N DSS specific information:
In the Safety in care (SC) file cluster this data element is recorded twice:
to show whether an estimated date of birth was recorded (cell number 4); 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.
Mandatory 2 6 Person—sex, code N 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.
Mandatory 1 7 Person—Indigenous status, code N 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.
Mandatory 1 8 Service event—living arrangement type, care arrangement code N[N] Mandatory 1 9 Child protection substantiation—date of substantiation, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This collection requires a non-standard format for this data item: DD/MM/YYYY.
Mandatory 1 10 Child—primary type of abuse or neglect, code N[N] Mandatory 1 11 Child—other type of abuse or neglect, code N[N] 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).
Conditional 3 12 Child protection substantiation—sexual exploitation indicator, yes/no/not applicable/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
Sexual exploitation is only relevant where sexual abuse has been substantiated as the primary or other type of abuse in care. Codes 1 ‘Yes’, 2 ‘No’ and 99 ‘Not stated’ should be used if ‘Substantiated primary type of abuse in care’ is code 2 ‘Sexual’, or ‘Substantiated other type of abuse in care: sexual’ is code 1 ‘Yes’. Code 97 ‘Not applicable’ should be used in all other cases.
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.
Mandatory 1