
Non Placement Support Services
Impact’s NPSS Foundation program is a fee-for-service brokerage partnership between Impact and the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS), as well as other NGOs, whereby a range of services are provided for children and young people in Out-of-Home-Care (OOHC) and their families through Individual Agreements.
Foundation is a specialised, short-term - up to three months - support program for children and young people who are experiencing difficulty in adjusting to the demands of living in their out-of-home care placement.
The first priority when a child starts the Impact’s Foundation program is to contain the crisis. Attachment issues are addressed by providing a safe, structured environment with predictable rules and routines. Initial plans are put in place to address immediate health needs, family contact arrangements and education. The child’s new home environment is personalised to suit them.
Specially trained Therapeutic Care Workers ‘tune in’ to the child’s affect, helping them to identify their internal emotional experiences and model ways to safely express emotions. Behaviour management systems are clear and positive. Staff utilise Therapeutic Crisis Intervention skills to prevent, de-escalate and capture the learning opportunities provided by crises that emerge.

Phase 1. Foundation - crisis containment, assessment and stabilisation (Entry - 3 months)
ATTACHMENT
Weekly Schedule
Safety Plan
Initial relationship with key worker and caregivers to build
trust through consistency
Environment Plan to customise the house to suit the individual child
Placement Orientation: personal needs, supports, rights initial Family Contact Plan
Possessions Register
REGULATION
Interaction Guidelines House Rules and responsibilities
Basic Reinforcement Plan
Incident Management Plan
Interim Behaviour Support Plan
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
COMPETENCE
Functional Skills Assessment to guide Living Skills plan
Risk Assessment: to determine the level of supervision required
Support Guides
Initial Education Plan: needs and pathways
COMMUNITY
Becoming a member of Impact community: roles, how to behave and belong.

The overriding principle of the Children & Young Person’s Care and Protection Act (1998) is that the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children or young people must be paramount in all decisions (section 9).
In adherence to this principle prior to a child entering a FOUNDATION program, it is vital that the safety and care needs of that child are addressed by Impact prior to proceeding with entry to the program. In the absence of a holistic, strengths-based assessment, the child is unlikely to achieve the safety and stability required to transition successfully back to their placement and may contribute to an escalation of the child's placement support needs in the future.
ASSESSMENT PHASE
The Assessment phase of the Intake process will identify the child or young person’s strengths, risks and needs by way of conducting a Risk Assessment and Behaviour Intervention and Support Plan.
Furthermore, any child who is referred to Foundation without a Behaviour Support Plan will be assessed by Impact’s Clinical team and will have a Behaviour Intervention Support Plan and iTracker (live document to monitor progress) developed within 7 days of entering the program.


FOUNDATION GOALS
The Foundation program has been designed to provide safety and stabilisation for children and young people who have suffered or are at risk of suffering placement breakdowns. Research indicates that when a child has experienced two or more placement breakdowns, there is a significantly increased likelihood of this pattern continuing (https://www.communities.qld.gov.au)
During their time in FOUNDATION, children and young people will engage in a contact plan with their carer or care team to allow them to slowly develop attachment and connection to their placements. Children and young people will be active in the development of this contact plan so that they can feel that their wishes and needs have been heard and shaped the manner in which they transition out of FOUNDATION and back to their chosen placement.
REPORTING
Each child’s needs and progress are closely monitored via a comprehensive data collection and reporting system. Regular reports are prepared, based on detailed information that has been systematically gathered by our Therapeutic Care Workers and analysed by the clinical team.
Depending on the child’s stage in the program, routine reports include:
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Behavioural data (daily)
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Routine compliance data (weekly, daily)
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Community access and citizenship (daily)
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Family contact report (as required)
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Case plan (monthly)
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Medical review (monthly)
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Progress reports (daily)
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Incident data (monthly)
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Counselling report (monthly)
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Relational assessment (monthly)
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Young person wellbeing checklist (monthly).
