Upcoming training on managing risk
Join our upcoming webinar SSRC - 'Developing a Child Safe Risk Management Plan' to hear about how to develop risk management strategies under the 10 Child Safe Standards.
It is a legal requirement that SSRC providers have risk management plans for their organisation and for children in their care, under both the 10 Standards and SSRC Code of Practice. In this interactive session, we will talk you through how to develop your risk management strategies using two free risk management resources.
Date: 15 December 2022
Time: 10am-12pm
Register for free on the OCG webinars and face to face training events page.
SSRC Listing
The SSRC list of providers is available on the OCG website under Specialised substitute residential care listing.
To update your information on the listing, including contact information, services provided and districts you operate in, please contact us at ssrc@ocg.nsw.gov.au.
SSRC Code of Practice and key supporting information now available
Information and resources for specialised substitute residential care (SSRC) providers has recently been updated and can be found at Specialised Substitute Residential Care, including the SSRC Code of Practice and key information about supervision, case planning and information exchange. In addition, there are a number of resources including handbooks, policy templates, and videos for the implementation of the 10 Child Safe Standards available on the OCG training and resources page, with new resources available each month. We also regularly run webinars and face to face training all free of charge.
The OCG is developing additional targeted resources for SSRC, including an Implementation Handbook for the SSRC Code of Practice, and a webinar training series for SSRC providers and their staff.
SSRC Register Training
Entering information about children and their placements into the Register is a key obligation of SSRC providers, as it allows the OCG and SSRC providers to track the number of days that each child is in care within a 12-month period. In addition to the SSRC Register Manual and the SSRC Quick Manual, both available on the website under SSRC Register, the OCG has developed a set of training videos to help organisations navigate and use the Register.
These training videos cover topics include:
- Logging in to the SSRC Register
- Using the ‘I forgot password’ function
- Checking placement history
- Lodging and exiting placements
- Entering supervisor and case plan notifications
The SSRC Register training videos will be available online within the next 2 weeks via the SSRC resources page or the OCG’s YouTube channel.
Webinar for new staff and new providers
Our latest webinar 'Specialised Substitute Residential Care overview - for new Principal officers and SSRC Coordinators' was created specifically as an overview for new SSRC providers and new staff within existing providers.
A recording of this webinar is available now via GotoWebinar, and will soon be posted on the OCG website to be accessed at any time via the past event recordings page.
Reminder about our Training and Resources Survey
In our previous newsletter we released our training and resources survey. We’ve already received several responses, but we would value any additional feedback on the training and resources that you might find helpful. You can find the survey via the SSRC Training Survey form.
A majority of those who have responded already say they are most interested in training and resources about organisational policy and procedure obligations, the changes from VOOHC to SSRC, and the Child Safe Scheme and the 10 Child Safe Standards. Additionally, in terms of training and resources for day-to-day obligations, the majority of those who have responded indicated risk management was a focus area.
A recording of our webinar explaining the change from VOOHC to SSRC is available on the OCG website via the past event recordings page.
The OCG has also published a range of handbooks available on the training and resources page. Many organisations may be interested in our handbooks on Risk management and the Child Safe Standards. These can be found on the website: Part 1: Responding to risk and Part 2: Identifying risk.
Child Safe Self-Assessment Reminder
It has been great to see the number of new and some existing SSRC providers using the Self-Assessment Tool currently available through Microsoft Forms. The new online Child Safe Self-Assessment – which will be available on the Office of the Children’s Guardian’s website – is nearing completion and will be available before Christmas 2022. We will send out further information about the online assessment once it is launched.
As a reminder, under the new SSRC Code of Practice, existing providers have until 1 March 2023 to complete a Child Safe Self-Assessment. The new Child Safe Self-Assessment will provide you with a personalised report on how your organisation is implementing the 10 Child Safe Standards, and actions to improve your practice as well as links to existing resources.
For those organisations waiting for the online Child Safe Self-Assessment, and for those who have already used the Microsoft Forms version, we suggest you earmark some time in January to complete it to ensure your organisation has clear guidance on how to implement the Child Safe Standards.
Christmas Closedown 2022-2023
Like many government agencies, the OCG will be closed from Monday, 26 December 2022 to Friday, 6 January 2023 inclusive.
We will attend to any enquiries that are sent through within 5 business days of our reopening on Monday, 9 January 2023.
Contact us
If you have any further questions or suggestions for additional resources and training, you can reach out to us via email at ssrc@ocg.nsw.gov.au or via phone on (02) 8219 3798. We aim to respond to all requests within 3 business days.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year from your SSRC Team.
