Child protection, child safety and family services consulting
Specialist child protection and child safety consulting informed by 20 years of experience across child and family services, service system design, commissioning, policy reform, safeguarding and implementation. We support organisations to design, strengthen and assure services for children, young people and families.
From requirement to practice
Governance
Clear accountability and oversight
Assurance
Risk, quality and safeguarding
Capability
Skilled, supported people
Practice
Requirements embedded in real work
Organisations working with children and young people need more than a child safe policy. Child Safe Standards, reportable conduct schemes, working with children checks, complaints, participation, codes of conduct, recruitment, supervision and incident response must work together as a connected child safe system that is visible in leadership decisions, workforce behaviour and the experience of children and families.
The Planning and Practice Hub brings 20 years of experience across child protection, child safety and human services design to this work, including commissioning, service system planning, policy reform, service model development, implementation and executive leadership. This means child safety advice can be connected to the wider service system, operating model, workforce and governance arrangements rather than treated as a stand-alone compliance task.
Support includes Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy suites, Child Safe Standards implementation and evidence mapping, safeguarding governance and Board assurance, reportable conduct and incident-response frameworks, complaints and participation systems, recruitment and screening, workforce capability, and practice assurance and child safe culture reviews. Where child and family services intersect with NDIS or out-of-home care delivery, the different safeguarding, screening, incident, workforce and governance obligations are separated and connected rather than conflated. The aim is child safe expectations that are understood, applied and evidenced in everyday practice.
The operating context
Organisations working with children and young people need more than a child safe policy. Governance, recruitment, screening, complaints, reportable conduct, participation, workforce behaviour, incident response and continuous improvement need to work together as a child safe system.
Rachel Willis brings 20 years of experience across child protection and human services design, including commissioning, planning, policy reform, service model development, implementation and executive leadership. This means child safety advice can be connected to the wider service system, operating model, workforce and governance arrangements rather than treated as a stand-alone compliance exercise.
We help organisations make child safe expectations visible in leadership decisions, workforce practice and the experience of children, young people and families.
Key regulators and standards
Knowing which regulator, standard or framework applies is the first step to building proportionate systems and evidence.
Common pressure points
How we can help
End-to-end support
The Planning and Practice Hub supports organisations across the full service improvement journey, from strategy and tender development through to implementation and practice assurance.
Our support can include:
We work with organisations across NDIS, aged care, child and family services, OOHC, homelessness, DFV and community services to translate requirements into practical systems that work in everyday practice.
In practice
A multi-service organisation operating across child and family services and NDIS had conflated child safe, reportable conduct and NDIS incident obligations into a single incident form, creating unclear triggers and reporting gaps.
We separated the obligations by scheme, rebuilt the incident-response framework with clear triggers and pathways, and delivered workforce guidance so staff could identify which obligation applied. The Board gained a single safeguarding report showing child safety, reportable conduct and NDIS incidents side by side.
Free resources and tools
Frequently asked questions
A child safe governance system should connect leadership accountability, risk, codes of conduct, recruitment and screening, complaints, incidents, reportable conduct, participation, workforce capability, continuous improvement and clear evidence of implementation.
Yes. Support can include requirement mapping, policy development, evidence frameworks, workforce implementation, governance reporting and practice assurance against the standards applicable in the organisation’s jurisdiction.
Child safe practice assurance tests whether safeguarding expectations are understood, visible and consistently applied, including how children are listened to, how workers respond to concerns and how leaders use evidence to identify risk and improve practice.
Yes. Where child and family services intersect with NDIS delivery, we help separate and connect the different safeguarding, screening, incident, workforce and governance obligations rather than treating them as one framework.
Yes. Support can include population and need analysis, service model design, referral and intake pathways, operating models, workforce design, governance, implementation planning, commissioning responses and practice frameworks. Rachel Willis brings 20 years of child protection and human services design experience to this work.
Yes. The Planning and Practice Hub supports human services organisations with tender strategy, evidence mapping, service model development, implementation plans and submission responses. Our approach combines commissioning, operational and practice experience to ensure responses are practical, evidence-based and aligned to funding requirements.
Yes. We support organisations to design and refine services by understanding community need, funding requirements, workforce capability, operational requirements and quality expectations. This includes service models, implementation planning, governance structures and practice frameworks.
Yes. We support implementation planning and readiness activities including governance, policies and procedures, workforce requirements, risk management, quality systems, reporting frameworks and continuous improvement approaches.
Compliance demonstrates that requirements have been addressed. Practice assurance focuses on whether systems are working in everyday practice and whether leaders have confidence that policies, training and processes are influencing outcomes.
Yes. The Planning and Practice Hub works with human services organisations at different stages of development, including organisations preparing for growth, responding to regulatory change, strengthening governance or implementing new services.
Yes. We support organisations to prepare for quality reviews, audits and accreditation by reviewing evidence, strengthening systems, identifying gaps and connecting policy requirements with frontline practice.
How we help
From preparing new providers for service delivery and strengthening practice assurance after growth, to tender and commissioning support and regulatory readiness, our case studies show how we translate policy, governance and quality requirements into practical systems that work in everyday practice.
Read the case studiesStart with the issue that is creating the most risk, uncertainty or work for your organisation.
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