Step 3 - Response
Acknowledge
The Central Coordinating Agency (CCA) will provide acknowledgement of receipt of the Report Form to the reporter as soon as possible, preferably within 72 hours.
Coordinate
The CCA will coordinate a response via local service providers where possible, and may call upon members of the VSU Working Group (Working Group) to assist. A local response may already be underway in which case the CCA will monitor, follow-up and record the outcome of the response, providing support where required.
If the incident/s involve large numbers of people, serious harms and/or the community feels it is uncontainable, the CCA will inform the Chair of the Working Group so that a broader, coordinated response can be implemented.
Communicate
The CCA will communicate with all relevant stakeholders and Working Group members as appropriate. Stakeholders to be notified will depend on each individual situation and details should only be made available to those that require the information to inform their response. This may include those who require the information at a local level as well as those Working Group members who are called upon to contribute to the response.
Where detail is not required, de-identified information should be used to ensure the confidentiality of the individuals involved, as well as the community. Where a child is at risk of harm to themselves or others, duty-of-care will require that relevant services be informed.
An appropriate ‘alert’ system, which informs or alerts relevant stakeholders to VSU incidents, needs to be developed for each town/community with agreement from the Working Group.