Having the right information at the right time helps us to make good decisions about children and their families.

That’s why we’re reforming our child protection case management systems to achieve better outcomes for children, families and communities.

These reforms will automate access to information about children we know may be at risk of harm, and their close connections - information that is currently available to us through manual processes. These changes will improve responses and streamline the process for sharing information we currently obtain during child protection inquiries and investigations.

Background

The Northern Territory Government (NTG) has always shared information between agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children that are in the care or at the attention of the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

This information sharing has previously been a manual process, which can mean long delays before the information is available to help child protection workers.

To achieve better outcomes for children and families, we’re introducing new technology to automate information sharing from NTG agencies to DCF. This technology is called 360 Degree View of the Child (360VoC).

We are required by law to investigate notifications of harm, or potential or suspected harm, to a child and 360VoC will:

provide us with access to information faster to help assess whether the child has been harmed, whether there is a likelihood of harm in the future, and whether those closest to the child are able to keep that child safe; and
help improve our responses including through early intervention and prevention services before families reach crisis point.

The 360VoC will meet the needs of DCF workers, ensuring the right information is available at the right time to make the best decisions about children and their families to keep them safe.

These changes will not broaden the range of information that DCF can access.

Current Consultation process

Following recent Machinery of Government changes, DCF is now consulting on automatic data sharing with the new departments of:

Corrections
- to authorise data youth justice data formerly held by the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities (TFHC); and
- adult corrections data formerly held by the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice; and
Housing, Local Government and Community Development
- to authorise housing data formerly held by TFHC.

Access to this data through 360VoC will meet the needs of DCF workers, ensuring the right information is available at the right time to make the best decisions about children and their families to keep them safe.

Community consultation will begin on Monday 18 November 2024 and will remain open for 31 days, closing at midnight on Thursday 19 December 2024.

How to participate

The community and stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the:

Department of Corrections draft Data Access Agreement

Department of Housing, Local Government and Community Development draft Data Access Agreement.

DCF is seeking submissions from organisations and individuals who are impacted by these changes, including:

organisations and individual practitioners who work with children and families at the attention of DCF
individuals, families and communities that have experience with child protection services, responses and investigations
other individuals and organisations with an interest in child protection and child safety in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory residents generally.

We welcome examples from your organisation or your own experience that illustrate the points raised in your submission. Please ensure when you are providing examples that individuals are not identified or easily identifiable.

You can have your say by visiting the Have Your Say link below, and:

simply typing your feedback into the provided text box, without attaching any formal document; or
uploading a written submission.

For any queries about how to make a submission, please contact TFHC.DataAccessAgreements@nt.gov.au.

Former Consultation process

A community consultation process about the 360VoC and governance to support the new technology-based sharing of information was undertaken in May-July 2024.

This included consultation on automatic data sharing with the departments of:

Department of Health
Department of Education and Training
Attorney-General’s Department
Northern Territory Police Force

All submissions were evaluated and reviewed, and the outcomes of the consultation are available here.

Scope of data to be transferred

The information shared through 360VoC only applies to specific children that are in the care of or at the attention of DCF, and their Close Connections.

This is explained in further detail below.

Definition of Child of Attention

A Child of Attention is a child:

for whom information has been received by DCF which raises a concern about the child’s safety and wellbeing
whom the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DCF believes on reasonable grounds might need protection.

The CEO has the power to make enquiries about a Child of Attention to inform the CEO’s decision about whether any further action should be taken to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of the child.

Definition of Child in Care

A Child in Care is a child:

in the CEO's care, whether under a temporary placement arrangement or provisional protection
under the daily care and control of the CEO under an order of the Court (for example, a protection order) or another law of the Northern Territory.

Close Connections

In making decisions regarding a child, DCF may need to access information about a person who is linked to or related to a child.

A Close Connection is a linked or related person to a child in the care of, or at the attention of, DCF that is:

a sibling, a parent or a current or prospective legal guardian or carer
other family members of the child (including as understood under the Aboriginal kinship system) identified as relevant to the safety and wellbeing of the child
a household member at any premises where the child habitually resides
the person believed to be responsible (for causing harm to the child).

View Close Connection fact sheet here.

Sharing information for 360VoC

360VoC is a read-only system that will provide a holistic view of a child, who is known to DCF. It will present high level data from DCF (child protection) and other NTG agencies, namely:

Department of Health (community health, acute health, primary health, mental health, alcohol and other drugs)
Department of Education and Training (school attendance)
the Attorney-General's Department (Courts)
Northern Territory Police Force (police involvements, police youth diversion programs)
Department of Corrections (youth justice and adult corrections)
Department of Housing, Local Government and Community Development (public housing)

The data shared from these NTG agencies is limited to what is set out in each data access agreement, which has been agreed by the relevant participating agency.

DCF will not have access to detailed information such as full medical and police records or education and court transcripts in 360VoC.

For DCF, the data will provide a starting point for case management and investigations through improved visibility of potential risk or safety concerns for a child.

DCF will still need to communicate with participating agencies to obtain further information about a child and the specifics of their circumstances.

Data Access Agreements

In February 2022, Part 5.1 was added to the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007 (NT) to allow for Data Access Agreements (DAAs) to be developed which would allow agencies to share their data with DCF for the safety and wellbeing of children and their families.

The data that DCF will have access to under the DAAs can already be legally requested from these agencies, through manual processes.

The DAAs will allow for this data sharing to occur through the automated digital 360VoC application. This will provide DCF with timely access to data required to make decisions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children and assist with early intervention and prevention so that children and their families receive the necessary support before reaching crisis point.

The 360VoC system is a highly secure, auditable system that can only be accessed by authorised staff within DCF, such as child protection case managers, and for approved purposes. Authorised users will have undergone relevant criminal history checks and have current Working with Children Checks in place, before access to 360VoC is granted.

View the DAAs for consultation, fact sheet and summary document via this Have Your Say page.

Master Data Management and Code of Practice

The Department of Corporate and Digital Development (DCDD) is developing a new technology to enable the transfer of relevant data from the systems of each participating agency into 360VoC.

This technology is referred to as the Master Data Management (MDM) system.

The MDM will match the identity of an individual within DCF’s CARE system, with the same individual from the other participating agency information systems, through algorithms.

Use of the MDM will ensure that the data transferred from each participating agency into the 360VoC system only relates to children in the care or at the attention of DCF and their close connections - no other Territory residents. The MDM will also improve data quality, standardisation and accuracy.

To enable basic identity information to be sent to the MDM, a Code of Practice has been developed between DCF, DCDD, and the Participating Agencies in consultation with the Office of the Information Commissioner.

The Code of Practice governs the use of the MDM technology that performs the data matching process.

The Code of Practice has been developed under Part 5, Division 3 of the Information Act 2002 (NT) and is subject to the approval of the Information Commissioner by Gazette notice.

View Approved Code of Practice, fact sheet and summary document here.

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