Step by Step

The range of Step by Step Assessment and Training Tools

• Shared Lives Foster Care

  Shared Lives Foster Care is a two part training package that is designed to provide the necessary information for agencies and carer applicants to make an informed decision about whether caring is an appropriate role for them. It also includes an induction information to assist with the preparation to provide care to children for the first time.

• Shared Lives Relative and Kinship

  Shared Lives Relative and Kinship is a two part training package that has been designed for one to one training for relative kinship carers who will be caring for children they are related, known to, or for carers who are caring for a particular child or sibling group. The training package provides the necessary information for agencies and relative kinship carer applicants to understand the role of being a carer and make an informed decision about whether caring for child/ren is appropriate for them. It also includes induction information to support relative kinship carers in preparation to provide care to children.

• Foster Care Assessment Tool

  This assessment tool guides the assessment of potential foster carers against an agreed set of criteria to document and demonstrate the carer applicant’s competency. The tool is designed to promote consistency and transparency in assessment process.

  The tool supports assessors from the initial enquiry stage through the assessment process to authorisation, including a Manual for Assessors that provides guidance on common practice issues, conversation prompts to gather the relevant information and forms and templates to document the assessment process, recommendations and authorisation decision for each carer applicant.

• Relative and Kinship Assessment Tool

  The Relative and Kinship assessment tool is designed to identify if potential relative kinship carers can provide safe and nurturing care, where children can maintain connections with their family, community, and culture.

  The tool supports assessors from the initial enquiry stage through the assessment process to authorisation, including provisional authorisation for NSW assessors.

  The tool includes a Manual for Assessors that provides guidance on common practice issues, conversation prompts to gather the necessary information and the forms and templates to document the assessment process, recommendations and authorisation decision for each carer applicant.

• Guardianship Assessment Tool

  This assessment tool is focused on how potential guardian/s have demonstrated high quality care to child/ren to meet their physical, social, family connection, educational, cultural and spiritual needs without the support of an agency. The assessment tool supports assessors to make recommendations about guardianship applicants’ ability to be able to take full guardianship of child/ren, in line with NSW Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998.

  The tool supports assessors from the application stage through the assessment process, including a Manual for Assessors that includes conversation prompts to gather the relevant information and forms and templates to document the assessment process and final recommendations regarding applicant’s suitability as guardians.

  The 2016 edition is the current version of this too.

• Carer Review Tool

  The carer review tool supports the ongoing process of information sharing and evaluation between the carer and the agency. The carer review is designed to confirm the carer’s ongoing competency, capacity and their continued suitability to provide care for children.

  Practitioners do not need to be a registered Step by Step user to use this tool to conduct carer reviews.

• Child-Carer Matching Tool

  The Child-Carer Matching tool supports decision making about the care arrangements for child/ren. The tool guides practitioners to match the needs of each child/ren against the skills and capabilities of particular carer/s and their households.