Case study 2

Alex, a regular service user, drops in to get some food. She has her eight year-old son with her. You notice that she appears to be affected by drugs as she is very slow and appears to keep "drifting off" and napping while you are talking with her. You know that she has a history of using drugs, in particular opioids, which are strong pain medications.

1.Identify at least two (2) Indigo policies and procedures from the Intranet that relate to this issue.

2 Referring to the appropriate policy from the policies you have identified in Question 1 above, describe how you would initially approach Alex about her apparent drug use and identify one (1) communication strategy you would use.

3Considering that Alex has an eight year-old child with her, review the Indigo Child Protection Policy and the Child Protection Reporting Procedure to determine what your reporting responsibilities are.

Once you have used the Mandatory Reporter Guide (see following instructions on how to do this), answer questions (a) and (b) below.

Instructions for use of the NSW Mandatory Reporter Guide (MRG)

(If you live or work outside of NSW, please contact the teaching section to discuss whether to use the NSW MRG or your relevant State or Territory legislation.)

In NSW, mandatory reporters are required to use the NSW Mandatory Report Guide (MRG) to determine whether their concerns about a child or young person meet the threshold for reporting to the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (formerly FACS) Child Protection Helpline. To locate the MRG, go to the Online Mandatory Reporter Guide (MRG) site (Ctrl + Click to follow link), and read the instructions on the first page on how to use the MRG and select an appropriate Decision Tree.

Have a look at the MRG Decision Trees available for you to select based on your concern about Alex's eight year-old child and:

Identify which MRG Decision Tree you would select to start with (you need to click on the definitions of the decision trees to make a decision) and read the Guide to selecting a decision tree (Ctrl + Click to follow link).

Start answering the questions in the decision tree about the information you have from the case study until you reach a decision point in the MRG.

Answer the following two (2) questions:

a, Which MRG Decision Tree did you choose

b,What was the outcome of the MRG and what actions do you need to take according to this MRG outcome?