Before you begin

This guide gives general information. It is not legal advice. Every child protection matter is different, and the law, DCP policy and service details can change. Get advice from a South Australian lawyer about your own situation. This is especially important before you sign an agreement, agree to a major decision, respond to court papers or record a conversation.

In July 2026, the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 is still the law used in South Australia. A replacement law was passed in 2025 but has not started yet. It is expected to start in 2027. This guide explains when something comes from the law and when it comes from DCP's own practice documents.

Words matter. In this guide, "parent" includes mothers, fathers, step-parents, guardians and other people who have parental responsibility. "Family time" is used as well as "contact" because your relationship with your child is bigger than an appointment. DCP and court papers may still use the word "contact".

This guide uses everyday words wherever possible. Some official terms are included because you may see them in DCP letters, plans or court papers. When they matter, the guide explains what they mean.

This is an original guide. It was written from scratch and does not copy the wording, headings, layout, examples or templates of the resources used during research. Those resources helped identify the questions parents are often left with. The structure, voice, South Australian information and practical tools are original.

During research, AbSec's Know Your Rights resources and Family Inclusion Strategies Hunter resources about advocacy, early child-protection contact, family plans and keeping records were reviewed. They are listed at the end of this guide. Most were written for New South Wales. This guide was independently written for South Australian parents.

At the beginning, I did not understand how quickly an ordinary conversation could become part of the official story about my family. I did not know what to ask, what I could ask to receive in writing or how to correct a mistake without being called difficult. I also did not understand how badly fear would affect my memory.

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."

Doing everything "right" does not guarantee a fair outcome. Systems do not always act fairly, consistently or safely. This guide is here to help you understand what is happening, keep your story accurate, take part in decisions and have more information than I had.

You do not have to become emotionless to be credible. You do need support, information and a way to keep hold of the facts when the process becomes overwhelming.