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Guidance and assessment-judgment framework for Child Protection and Welfare Thematic Programme (CPW)

Status: Published on

This document has been produced to assist service areas to focus on quality improvement in the area of the management of referrals from receipt, to screening and preliminary enquiry, safety planning and completion of initial assessment. It aims to provide extra supporting information to inspectors and providers on assessing compliance with national standards and offers guidance on reviewing individual standards.

An assessment-judgment framework and its lines of enquiry (questions to be addressed) assist with checking compliance. This does not replace the professional judgment of the inspector or the requirements of the standards. The lines of enquiry can also be used by providers to self-assess their own services.

Child Protection and Welfare Thematic Phase 1

The programme focuses on the management of referrals to Tusla from the point of receipt of a report through to the screening and preliminary stage, safety planning and the completion of the initial assessment.

Self-assessment Questionnaire

This self-assessment questionnaire has been developed by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to aid service areas to prepare for the child protection and welfare thematic programme. It will require them to self-assess their own performance under each of the standards being used for this programme.

Quality Improvement Plan

The quality improvement plan should be used in conjunction with the self-assessment questionnaire. Once your service has completed the self-assessment questionnaire, the quality improvement plan template provides an opportunity for the service to target areas for improvement under each standard.

This quality improvement plan is not required to be submitted to HIQA. It should be made available to an inspector upon request, as it will demonstrate initiatives being undertaken in relation to service improvement and moving into compliance with the standards.