This report, developed by the Australian Centre for Child Protection (ACCP) in consulation with an Expert Panel, provides an analysis and evaluation of a range of child protection practice frameworks in terms of the way they respond to the values and principles and approach to working with children and families applicable to the continuum of child protection practice. The project objective was the development of a benchmarking tool identifying the quality and comprehensiveness of child protection practice frameworks. The project sought to assess the relative strengths, limitations and gaps across and within child protection practice frameworks.
Implications and recommendations for policy and practice
This report, together with the Expert Panel review, provides a concerning picture for the state of child protection frameworks as a whole; both regarding the comprehensiveness of frameworks and the appropriateness of framework content and approaches. Firstly, child protection practice frameworks tend to be marketed as a one-size-fits-all approach to child protection practice. The core domains presented in this report provide a base level checklist for the assessment of the relative comprehensiveness of a child protection practice framework and any core domains that may need to be supplemented or further developed. Secondly, the report highlights the importance of Child Protection Departments adequately covering all core domains in their service. Child Protection Departments could use the core domains identified in this report to build on their current frameworks and include and strengthen content on all domains. Further work is required to strengthen the comprehensiveness of child protection practice frameworks, including:
1. The development of a process or method to determine the best available evidence for each of the identified core domains.
2. The application of this process to each of the core domains with a view to using the best available evidence to set minimum requirements in each domain through implementation.
3. The development of a benchmarking tool for child protection frameworks that combines the core domains identified in this project and best practice within domains.
These steps would provide an integrated approach to supporting child protection practice, which is evidence-based and high quality. ACCP recommends that developers of frameworks might consider how to better engage stakeholders in the design, implementation and review of frameworks.
