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Scenario |
Has 'No parental concern' been established for at least 2 years? |
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Young person advises has not had any form of contact with parent for 3 years. Another parent or third party verifies.
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Yes.
Exempt from the requirement to contact parent.
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Young person advises had a big fight with parent one 3 months ago when living with the parent and has not had any form of contact with the parent since that time. Another parent and third party verify.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person advises has not sighted parent or been contacted by parent for 10 years. The young person has been searching for and has recently located parent on Facebook. Parent responded after several 'friend requests' and there have been a few subsequent contacts. Parent never initiates contact but does respond briefly. Young person asked if could live with the parent, but request was denied. Another parent and third party verify.
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Yes.
Exempt from the requirement to contact parent.
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Young person has not sighted or had a conversation with parent for 8 years. Parent sends an SMS text message to young person on young person's birthdays and at Christmas. Parent has never written or phoned and has not responded to Facebook 'friend request' and has not given any indication of wanting to further the parent/child relationship. Young person has not attempted to phone parent as not confident the call would be well received. Parent frequently changes phones so young person is not sure of parent's phone number until receives the next SMS message. Young person does not know parent's whereabouts. Other parent states that parent one has been told that young person would be open to developing a relationship and has been encouraged to contact young person. Other parent states have made contact with parent one several times in the first few years after separation and once or twice in recent years, urging communication with the young person, but that parent one has not been responsive. Third party verifies.
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Yes.
Exempt from the requirement to contact parent.
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Young person advised has never had a conversation with parent. Parent does not support in any way and does not initiate contact. If young person and parent accidentally cross paths while out shopping or at a social event, (which happened once last year and 3 times the year before) they will smile at each other. They acknowledge their biological relationship but do not have a personal relationship. Other parent and third party verify that there has never been a relationship or any attempt by the parent to have a presence in the young person's life.
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Yes.
Exempt from the requirement to contact parent.
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Young person has never lived with parent one and not seen parent one for 3 years since young person moved towns with parent 2 and siblings. Parent one has written several times during the 3 years to invite young person to visit, or stay long term, but parent 2 forbids contact. Young person has regular Facebook communication with parent one in which they share stories about their respective lives, photos and jokes. Other parent states that parent one is not a part of young person's life. Third party has never met parent one and has no knowledge of a relationship between young person and parent one.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person says parent is homeless and address and contact details are unknown. Parent sometimes drops in to visit young person and phones from pay phones to keep in touch. From time to time when parent settled, parent invites young person over to visit. Get on well when they see each other, but parent has unstable accommodation, long-term mental health issues and no capacity to provide financial or practical support. Third party verifies. Young person is afraid that trying to contact parent will delay the assessment process.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person advises does not want to live with parent one as they are moody and horrible, and they can't communicate. Young person says parent one frequently invites young person to live with parent one but young person refuses. Young person says parent one only ever comes around to cause trouble with parent 2. Parent 2 agrees and says parent one has been trying for years to gain custody and will try anything to achieve this. Third party describes bitter marriage breakdown with both parents fighting over the children.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person states parent is violent, vindictive and mentally ill. Family was in hiding when recently separated from parent. Young person is terrified of Service Officer contact with parent. Parent likely to retaliate if learns that young person has discussed personal circumstances with Service Officer. Parent demonstrated extreme violence recently when young person's sibling claimed UTLAH and has threatened young person and family of more severe retribution if betrayed.
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No.
Service Officer should discuss with social worker. Social worker likely to say contact should not be made due to serious risk.
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Young person states parent is violent when intoxicated and is alcohol dependent - drinks every night. Other parent and third party confirm history of alcohol abuse and domestic violence. DVO provided as additional verification of violence. Young person is confident that the parent would never harm young person, but young person finds it distressing to witness abuse of others in the home and damage to property. Young person and violent parent have regular contact, meeting socially and via phone and Facebook.
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No.
Service Officer should discuss with a social worker regarding contact. Social worker likely to say contact should not be made due to serious risk.
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Young person states parent is moody, and that recent conflict became so intense that young person fears potential violence. Other parent and third party are not aware of violence or abuse in present or past relationships. They state young person gets on well with parent one when not living with parent one but confirm increasing intensity and risk of violence in the future, if young person were to return home to parent one. Young person and parent one have regular contact, meeting socially and via phone and Facebook.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
Serious risk is not verified or demonstrated.
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Young person states have not had any form of contact with parent for more than 2 years; does not know whereabouts or contact details and does not want parent contacted. Other parent states young person lived with parent one for 6 months last year but that the reunification was unsuccessful, ending so badly that young person is unlikely to ever again have contact with that parent. Third party confirmed young person lived with parent one for a period last year.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person stated has not had any form of contact with parent for at least 2 years. Neither another parent nor third party can verify. Both assumed that contact had continued since family separation 3 years ago. Young person says no one knows about the lack of contact in the parent child relationship.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person adamant will not live with parent one and called parent one names. Parent 2 expressed bitterness towards parent one, calling parent one names. Third party is parent 2's mother - called parent one names. Young person, parent 2 and third party want parent one excluded from the assessment because they despise parent one.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person described long-term, high-level conflict that persisted even after mediation and counselling with several services during the last few years. Young person has letters from youth services and counselling services that show total relationship breakdown with parent. Another parent and third party verify. All state that it would be pointless to contact parent one.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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Young person states that parent moved overseas 18 months ago. No contact since. Parent will be too difficult to contact. Another parent and third party verify.
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No.
Contact with parent required.
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