The Development of a Family Support Agency Protocol for its Relationship with Protective Services— A Joint Effort by Clients, Staff and Protective Services

Family support agencies that undertake work with families where protective concerns are evident, are frequently placed in the difficult situation of deciding whether to involve Protective Services, and if so, how to do this and remain a helping agency in the eyes of the parents.

Alys Key Family Care has found it immensely valuable to meet with a group of service users to consider the issues of (1) passage of information from the agency to Protective Services, and (2) circumstances which warrant involvement of Protective Services.

Unlike many professionals, the client group expressed clear and consistent views about what situations warranted notification to a Protective Service, and as a result, the agency has now developed a pamphlet for all new client families that outlines how the agency handles these issues.

The paper describes the difficult situations faced by professionals in family support services when Protective Services become involved with their client families and a clear and open policy does not exist between the agency and its clientele. It outlines the process adopted by Alys Key Family Care to actively involve service users in the development of agency policy, and describes the specific guidelines for Protective Service involvement generated by the client advisory group.