Victoria's Child FIRST and IFS differential response system: progress and issues

Area of Science:

• Child Protection Systems
• Social Work
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Differential response models are established in Australian statutory child protection.
• Victoria's system, focusing on Child FIRST and IFS, partners government child protection with community agencies for early intervention.
• This approach aims to provide diverse prevention and early intervention services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine the effectiveness of Victoria's differential response system.
• To analyze service user perspectives on child and family health and wellbeing.
• To identify implementation challenges and policy tensions within partnership-reliant systems.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of an external service system evaluation.
• Review of findings from a judicial inquiry.
• Examination of the Child and Family Services Outcomes Survey data on parent/carer experiences.

Main Results:

• Service user perspectives highlight child and family wellbeing outcomes.
• Significant implementation issues challenge the integrated partnership model.
• Policy, program, and structural tensions exist within the differential response system.

Conclusions:

• Ongoing reform is necessary for differential response systems.
• Effective partnerships and shared responsibilities are crucial for child protection.
• Research and evaluation must prioritize service user voices and rights.