Community Visitor Program – 2010 Visiting Schedule

1.  Visiting children and young people in visitable locations

Community Visitors are assigned to undertake regular and frequent visits to children and young people identified in Section 86 of the Act who are residing in visitable locations and known to the Community Visitor Program. 

2.  Visiting schedules

Depending on the needs of the child and the type of placement in which he or she is living, the visiting schedules which can be implemented are:

• Monthly
• Bi-monthly
• Quarterly (as per point 3.3)

2.1  Initial monthly visiting schedule

A monthly visiting schedule will be implemented for all children and young people following their initial placement in a visitable location.  Six executed visits must be conducted with the corresponding reports submitted.

If, for exceptional reasons, the six executed visits have not taken place within six months, a monthly schedule will continue for a maximum period of nine months, by which time a Community Visitor must complete six visits and reports.  

2.2  Ongoing monthly visits

Following the completion of the initial monthly visiting schedule, the implementation of varying visiting schedules will be structured around a risk management approach. 

As such, children and young people residing in the following visitable sites will continue to be visited monthly by a Community Visitor:

• residential facilities
• authorised mental health services under the Mental Health Act 2000
• disability respite centres
• boarding schools

All other children and young people known to and within the jurisdiction of Chapter 5 of the Act are visited on a visiting schedule determined by the Zonal Manager in accordance with the guidelines contained in this policy. 

Refer to point 6 for guidance regarding the frequency of visiting young people in youth detention centres and point 7 for visiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

3.  Determining a visiting schedule after six visits

When determining the most appropriate visiting schedule, the Zonal Manager must consider the criteria for each schedule and determine from this the frequency of visits which will best suit the needs of each child.

3.1  Monthly visiting schedule

A monthly visiting schedule is maintained for: 

• Any child who has been the subject of a serious issue within the past three months relating to his/her safety and/or care circumstances
• Any child where concerns have been raised within the past three months regarding a significant service delivery issue.

This includes any serious or significant service delivery issues that are raised by the Department, for example, Matters of Concern relating directly to the visitable child’s safety and/or care circumstances.

3.2  Bi-monthly visiting schedule

A bi-monthly visiting schedule will be implemented if the following criteria are met:

• The child or young person has been consistently stable in the placement for six months.  Indicators of stability include:

• placement has not broken down or threatened to breakdown
• the child or young person has reported over the course of initial monthly visits he/she feels safe, settled and has a secure relationship with their carers.

• The child or young person has not been the subject of a serious issue within the past six months that relates his/her safety and/or care circumstances

• There have been no concerns raised in the past six months regarding a significant service delivery issue

• The views of the child or young person have been taken into consideration subject to their age and ability. 

3.3  Adjusting visiting schedules at the request of a child or young person

Quarterly visits can be implemented should a child or young person directly request a decreased visiting schedule

Last Updated: March 20, 2012

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