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Child Abuse Squad Teams

The CAS is comprised of Metropolitan and Regional teams that investigate sexual abuse, serious physical abuse or extreme neglect of children aged under 16 years in accordance with set criteria of the Joint Child Protection Response Program (JCPRP). They also investigate sexual assault, serious physical assault or neglect of young person’s 16 to 18 years where the young person has a cognitive impairment, sensory impairment or other communication needs; the young person is a close family member of, or is currently under the ‘special care’ or authority of the offender; the young person is in statutory care placed in a residential care facility and does not have an existing relationship with an allocated DCJ case worker; and the young person is in statutory care with a recent history of placement instability and does not have an existing relationship with an allocated DCJ case worker.

In addition to providing a 24/7 State-wide response the above matters, the teams also provide advice and/or assistance to Police Commands/Districts and specialist sections.

There are currently 19 separate Child Abuse teams located across the State.

Joint Referral Unit (JRU)

The JRU operates in a tri-agency response with staff from the NSW Police Force, Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and NSW Health. The JRU assesses risk of serious harm referrals received from the DCJ Child Protection Helpline to determine whether they meet the JCPRP criteria for Entry into the Program for a CAS investigative response for a CAS response, or alternatively, should be referred to a Policing Command / District for further investigation.