publication guide
about Community Services
Community Services is an agency of the Department of Family and Community Services. It was previously known as the Department of Community Services.
Community Services promotes the safety and wellbeing of children and young people and works to build stronger families and communities. We provide child protection services, parenting support and early intervention, foster care, and adoption services.
Community Services provides services directly and funds other community service organisations to protect children, and support and strengthen families and communities.
More details on the functions and structure of Community Services can be found on the about us page and in the most recent Annual Report.
The Head Office of Community Services is located at 4-6 Cavill Avenue, Ashfield NSW 2131.
what government information does Community Services hold?
Community Services holds government information in a number of program areas including early intervention, child protection, out-of-home care and adoption, support services for families and individuals, community development and homelessness services.
Information on these programs, functions and activities is published on the agency’s website as well as through a variety of newsletters, fact sheets and brochures.
Policy and procedure documents published on Community Services website are available for download free of charge.
Please note that certain information relating to adoptions and to reports relating to the care and protection of children cannot be released under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.
how can members of the public participate in formulation of Community Services policy?
Community Services is committed to a policy of consultation with clients and community partners. These include funded services, service providers, local government and other NSW Government agencies.
Any member of the public may participate in our policy formulation by writing to the Chief Executive with suggestions or raising issues that concern them or the community. Various forums have also been established to facilitate such participation.
policy documents
Community Services holds the policy documents listed below. The documents listed are used by community services to exercise functions that may affect the rights of members of the public.
Most items are available on the community services website. Where documents are available on a different website the relevant address has been listed below.
Many of our policy documents are under review or are updated regularly. You can get access to these by emailing your request to Right-to-Information@community.nsw.gov.au
accountability and review
- Fraud control plan
- Fraud risk assessment for service providers
- Guide to fraud risk assessment
- Managing allegations against employees, policy and procedures
- Managing privacy and personal information in DoCS
- Public interest disclosures – internal reporting policy and procedures
- Visiting delegations policy
communities and early years
- Aboriginal Child Youth & Family Strategy Program Overview
- Community Builders Program Guidelines 2010
- Community Builders FAQ
- Evaluation of the Families NSW Volunteer Home Visiting Model
- Evaluation of Families NSW Supported Playgroups
- Families NSW Program Overview 2009
- Integrated Domestic and Family Violence Services program overview
- South West Sydney, Western NSW and Metro Central Regional Strategic Plans
- Staying Home Leaving Violence program overview
- Working Together for NSW; An Agreement between the NSW Government and NSW Non Government Human Services Organisations *
children’s services
- Application for assessment of children services qualifications
- Approved guidelines for certification of documents
- Children’s services licence fees policy
- Current list of qualifications that meet the Regulation
- Early childhood teacher interim policy
- Early years learning framework
- First aid course approval process
- Guidelines for advertising
- Prosecution policy and guidelines
- Preschool Investment and Reform Plan (PIRP) preschool funding model principles
- Qualifications for cooks in children’s services
- Strategic compliance monitoring and enforcement framework
adoption
- Adoption Act 2000 How it affects you. Contact the Right to Information Unit for access
- Mandatory written information on adoption: information for parents
- Mandatory written information on adoption: information for children and young people
- Mandatory information on intrafamily adoption: information for parents and adoptive parents
- Mandatory written information about adoption for parents of a child in OOHC
- Thinking about adoption
operations
- Aboriginal community engagement guidelines: guidelines to assist Joint Investigation Response Teams to develop a community engagement plan with Aboriginal communities in their local area
- Aboriginal Consultation Guide
- DoCS Aboriginal strategic commitment
- DoCS multicultural strategic commitment 2008-2013
- JIRT Aboriginal consultation protocol: guidelines for utilising Aboriginal staff for JIRT consultation
- Joint Investigation Response Team (JIRT) criteria
- Permanency planning guidelines
- Practice guidelines for caseworkers on child neglect
- Casework practice is a collection of electronic documents on operational procedures for child protection, out-of-home care and early intervention. Helpline rules are an electronic collection of internal processes and procedures for use by Helpline staff. Contact the Right to Information Unit for access
- Working with Aboriginal people and communities: a practice resource
- Guidelines for external providers of psychological services
- Aboriginal Employment and Development Strategy
child protection
- DoCS policy on child neglect
- Guidelines for responding to a report about a child or young person who has displayed sexually abusive behaviour towards another child or young person
- Child Wellbeing and Child Protection – NSW Interagency Guidelines
out-of-home care
- Assessing needs and supports for migrant and refugee children, young people and families in out-of-home care
- Case management policy 2008
- Charter of rights for 7 to 12 year olds
- Charter of rights for 13 to 18 year olds
- Financial support for children and young people in out-of-home care: guidelines and policy
- Guidelines for the release of adoption information
- Ministerial guidelines for the provision of assistance after leaving out-of-home care
- Permanency planning policy
- Placement of siblings in out-of-home care policy
- Procedures for the use of psychotropic medication for a child or young person in out-of-home care
planning and corporate performance
- DoCS guidelines for external researchers
- DoCS research ethics guidance
- Guidelines for requesting statistical information
prevention and early intervention
- Brighter Futures program guidelines
- About the Brighter Futures program – key facts
- Brighter Futures caseworker manual (abridged version)
- Brighter Futures service provision guidelines
- Guidelines for working with perpetrators of domestic and family violence in Brighter Futures
- Evaluation plan: early intervention program
- Brighter Futures early intervention program evaluation interim report
funding and contracting strategy and reform
- DoCS funding policy
- DoCS performance monitoring framework
- Early intervention and Placement Prevention Funding Program Guidelines
- Intensive Family Preservation Service Provision Guidelines
- Intensive Family Support Service Provision Guidelines
- Service analysis and business development resource manual and workbook
- Good practice guidelines for DoCS funded services manual
- Out-of-home care program guidelines
- Performance based approach to out-of-home care funding
- Preschool investment and reform plan preschool funding model principles
- Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) program guidelines
corporate services
legal services
memoranda of understanding
- Memorandum of Understanding between NSW Community Services and The Children’s Guardian
- Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Community Services and the Legal Aid Commission of NSW
- Memorandum of Understanding between Commissioner of Police, the Director-General of Community Services and the Director-General of Health concerning JIRT
- Memorandum of Understanding signed between DoCS, Department of Education, Catholic Education Commission and the Association of Independent Schools on mandatory reporting for the education sector
- Memorandum of Understanding between Community Services and Ageing, Disability and Home Care on children and young persons with a disability
- Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Community Services and the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia
- Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Community Services Community Services division and NSW Health on Health Screening, Assessment, Intervention and Review for children and young people in statutory Out-of-Home Care
- Memorandum of Understanding between NSW Department of Education and Training and NSW Department of Community Services in relation to Educational Services for Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Director General of the Department of Health, Director General of the Department of Community Services, Director General of the Department of Juvenile Justice, Commissioner of Police and Director General of the Department of Education and Training in the State of NSW – Regarding NSW Health Funded Programs for Children Aged 10 or Over and Young People who Sexually Assault Other Children
- Memorandum of Understanding between the NSW Department of Health, the NSW Department of Community Services, NSW Police, the NSW Department of Housing and the NSW Attorney General's Department
- Memorandum of Understanding between between the Department of Community Services and Participating Churches in NSW: Allegations of Sexual Abuse/Assault involving a Child or Young Person by a Church Worker
- Memorandum of Understanding between the NSW Ombudsman and the Department of Community Services, June 2003
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Family Court of Australia and the NSW Department of Community Services
- Memorandum of Understanding between NSW Department of Community Services and NSW Department of Juvenile Justice on Children and Young People who are under the parental responsibility of the Minister for Community Services and are clients of the Department of Juvenile Justice
- MoU between Community Services and AbSec
- NSW Charter of principles for a culturally diverse society, statement of intent to implement
- Working together for NSW (an agreement between the NSW Government and NSW non-government human services organisations)
- Memorandum of Understanding between Legal Aid NSW and Department of Justice and Attorney General and Department of Human Services, Community Services
- Memorandum of Understanding between NSW Community Services, Ageing Disability and Home Care, Education and Communities and the Ministry of Health on Access to Therapy Services for People with a Disability and their Families in NSW
protocols
- Protocol for the transfer of child protection orders and proceedings and interstate assistance
- Provision of mental health services to people with developmental disabilities: protocol between DoCS and NSW Mental Health Services
- Youth protocol (case management protocol between Commonwealth agencies and state authorities for unsupported young people)
- Protocol between Department of Community Services and Federal Magistrates Court of Australia
- Protocol between DoCS and the Family Court
- Protocol between Family and Community Services (as to its divisions of Community Services and Ageing Disability and Home Care) and the NSW Public Guardian for the Public Guardian's Advocacy Function for a young person with a disability who is transitioning from the care of Community Services to the care of Ageing Disability and Home Care
- Protocol for the conduct by the Crown Solicitor’s Office of civil proceedings for the Department of Community Services
- Protocol for the settlement of court documentation in care proceedings for filing in the Children’s Court
- Protocol for work allocation: the use of legal services as part of care proceedings within the Department of Community Services
- Protocol between Department of Community Services through SAAP service providers, NSW Police Service and NSW Health, for provision of services to homeless people who are affected or addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs
- Protocol for homeless people in public places
- Information sharing protocol between the Commonwealth and child protection agencies
- Information sharing between NSW Health and NSW Department of Community Services in relation to persons participating in opioid treatment (methadone buprenorphine) who have care and responsibility for children under 16 years of age in order to assess potential risk of harm under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998
- Interstate child protection warrants protocol
- Letter of agreement between DoCS and Coronial Services of NSW
- Joint practice guidelines for work with children and young people with a disability
further advice
Contact the Right to Information Unit: Right-to-Information@community.nsw.gov.au
To report suspected child abuse or neglect, call the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111 (24 hours/7 days)