Lived Impact is a non-clinical peer support and education resource. It does not replace medical, psychological or emergency care.
The things I wish I knew
When child protection enters your family's life
A practical South Australian guide for parents — written from lived experience, for the moments when fear makes it hard to take information in.
This guide gives general information. It is not legal advice. Get independent legal advice about your own situation — especially before signing anything, responding to court papers or making a major decision.
What's inside
Ten parts, twelve tools
The first hours and days
What to do when DCP first contacts you or concerns escalate.
Understand the concern
Turn broad statements into clear, answerable questions.
Build your parent file
Create a safe, factual and organised record.
Meetings, plans and services
Make expectations concrete, realistic, supported and reviewable.
If your child is removed
Urgent legal steps, information to request, court and family time.
Reunification and progress
Ask how decisions are made and what evidence will demonstrate change.
Violence, disability and culture
Stop responsibility being misplaced and request accessible, culturally safe practice.
Records, complaints and review
Correct information, access records and escalate concerns.
South Australian help
Legal, advocacy, family, disability, cultural and crisis resources.
Parent tools
Editable checklists, logs, emails and meeting templates.
About this guide
Built for the moments when fear makes it hard to think
South Australian law and practice
Written specifically for SA parents — not adapted from interstate resources. Covers the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 and DCP practice documents.
12 practical parent tools
Ready-to-use checklists, logs, email templates and meeting preparation pages you can copy and adapt.
Written from lived experience
Not a government document. Written by someone who has been through the system and wishes they had known these things earlier.
Free to read
No purchase required. Read the full guide online, any time, on any device.
"I thought cooperation meant answering every question straight away, agreeing before I had advice and never showing how upset I was. I wish someone had told me that cooperation can also mean slowing things down. It can mean asking for plain words, taking notes, bringing support, asking for practical help and saying, 'I need legal advice before I answer that.'"
If everything is happening at once
Start here
- 1Record the worker's name, office, contact details, and the exact date and time.
- 2Ask for the specific concern, the information it is based on, the decision being considered and the deadline.
- 3Call the Legal Services Commission of SA on 1300 366 424 and say it is an urgent child protection matter.
- 4Do not sign a major plan you do not understand. Ask for a copy, advice and a calm support person.
- 5Start one dedicated folder and one timeline today.
Information note: This guide has been independently researched and written as a lived-experience and practical information resource. It gives general information, not legal advice. Parents should check current contact details and seek legal advice about their own case, especially where there are court dates, orders, agreements, consent forms, recordings or deadlines. Information checked July 2026. The replacement Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Act 2025 is expected to start in 2027 — legal sections will be updated when the start date and new rules are confirmed.