Damon Mcknight
Out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia is a temporary, medium, or long-term living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live with their families or guardians. OOHC aims to provide a safe and nurturing environment for those at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect, often resulting from issues such as substance abuse, mental health, and family violence. As of June 2022, approximately 45,400 Australian children were in OOHC, with a significant proportion being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. OOHC includes various placement types, such as foster care, kinship care, family group homes, and residential care, each offering unique support systems to meet the diverse needs of the children in their care.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Out-of-home care provides alternative accommodation for children and young people who are unable to live with their parents. |
| Types | Foster care, relative or kinship care, family group homes, and residential care. |
| Foster Care | Placement in the home of a carer who receives payment from a state or territory for caring for a child. |
| Relative or Kinship Care | The caregiver is a family member or someone with a pre-existing relationship with the child. |
| Family Group Homes | Placement in a residential building owned by the jurisdiction, typically with a limited number of children, and round-the-clock care from resident carers. |
| Residential Care | Placement in a residential building with paid staff, children tend to be older, but there is a recent increase in children under 10. |
| Number of Children | Approximately 46,200 children were in out-of-home care as of June 30, 2021. |
| Admission Rate | About 11,500 children were admitted in 2020-2021, a rate of 2 per 1,000 children. |
| Discharge Rate | About 11,400 children were discharged in 2020-2021, a rate of 2 per 1,000 children. |
| Indigenous Children | Overrepresented in out-of-home care, with a rate 9.5 times higher than non-Indigenous children in 2016. In 2020-2021, about 4,500 Indigenous children were admitted and 4,100 discharged. |
| Placement Stability | Some studies indicate that children in care often experience multiple placements, with 25% experiencing two or more placements. |
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What You'll Learn
Types of out-of-home care (OOHC)
Out-of-home care (OOHC) is a temporary, medium, or long-term living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live in their family home. OOHC provides alternative accommodation for children who are unable to live with their parents or guardians. As of June 2022, there were around 45,400 Australian children living in OOHC, with 70% of them in long-term care arrangements.
The most common types of OOHC placement include:
- Foster care: where a child is placed into the care of a trained and approved foster carer who receives a payment from a state or territory for their work.
- Kinship care: where a child is taken into the care of a relative, family friend, or a person with a pre-existing relationship with the child, allowing them to remain within their family or local network.
- Residential care: where a child is placed in a residential building with other children and cared for by paid staff. This includes family group homes, which are typically run like family homes with around-the-clock care, and other residential facilities.
The OOHC system aims to provide a safe and stable environment for children, helping them recover from experiences of abuse and neglect and contributing to improving their developmental outcomes. It is designed to meet the physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs of the children, particularly for Aboriginal children, in alignment with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.
The reasons for children entering OOHC include substantiated allegations of emotional abuse and neglect, often combined with underlying issues such as alcohol and drug misuse, mental health issues, family violence, and structural disadvantages. OOHC seeks to provide these children with a caring and stable environment that meets their unique needs.
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OOHC for First Nations children
Out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia provides alternative accommodation for children who are unable to live with their parents. OOHC includes foster care, relative or kinship care, family group homes, and residential care.
As of June 2022, there were around 45,400 Australian children living in OOHC, including 19,400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, also known as First Nations children. First Nations children have unique wellbeing needs in addition to safety, security, and health. A comprehensive literature review identified six key wellbeing needs of First Nations children in OOHC:
- Being seen and heard
- A sense of stability
- Holistic health support
- Social and cultural connections
- Culturally safe OOHC providers
- Preparedness for transitioning out of care
To address these needs, OOHC providers, caseworkers, and carers must facilitate the development and maintenance of social and cultural connections. This includes respectfully engaging the children's family members in cultural care planning and collaborating with birth family members to create a customized cultural plan that supports the child's cultural identity development.
Despite the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP), which states that First Nations children in OOHC should be placed with kin or in the care of First Nations carers, only two-thirds of these children are living with First Nations kin or carers. This overrepresentation of First Nations children in OOHC has led to initiatives such as the Western Australian 10-Year Roadmap for Reducing Overrepresentation of Aboriginal Children in Out-of-Home Care.
To support First Nations children transitioning out of OOHC, housing assistance and support are crucial to prevent homelessness. Early transition planning, starting as early as age 12, is recommended for First Nations youth.
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Reasons for entering OOHC
Out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia is a temporary, medium, or long-term living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live with their families or guardians. OOHC provides alternative accommodation for children who are unable to live with their parents or whose parents cannot care for them.
There are several reasons why a child may enter OOHC. The main reason is to protect children who are at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect. This includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, which may be underpinned by alcohol and drug misuse, mental health issues, family and domestic violence, and intergenerational trauma within the family.
Children may also enter OOHC when their parents are unable to care for them due to their own health issues, substance abuse, or other disadvantages. In some cases, children may enter OOHC voluntarily if they feel unsafe or unsupported at home.
It is important to note that the OOHC system in Australia aims to meet the diverse needs of the children and young people in its care. This includes their physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who are overrepresented in the system. The system strives to provide stable care arrangements that prioritize the best interests of the child and support their development and well-being.
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OOHC support services
Out-of-home care (OOHC) support services in Australia are designed to help children and young people who cannot live with their families or guardians. These services provide alternative accommodation and support to those at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect, often resulting from issues such as emotional abuse, drug and alcohol misuse, mental health problems, and family violence. OOHC support services aim to ensure the safety and well-being of these vulnerable children and young people.
The Australian government and non-government partners work together through initiatives like the Permanency Support Program (PSP) to ensure the best interests of the children in OOHC. The PSP provides access to health support, educational assistance, legal advice, and support services for children transitioning out of OOHC. It also includes the Aboriginal Case Management Policy (ACMP), which aims to meet the unique needs of Aboriginal children in OOHC.
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OOHC placement process
Out-of-home care (OOHC) is a temporary, medium, or long-term living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live in their family home. In Australia, around 45,400 children live in OOHC, with a significant number aged between five and 14 years old (61%). The majority of children placed in OOHC are placed with kinship carers and come from the most socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
The OOHC placement process involves several steps and considerations to ensure the best interests of the child. Here is an overview of the OOHC placement process:
- Identification of Need: The first step is identifying that a child needs to be placed in OOHC. This can occur through an investigation and removal from the family home by Child Protection or when a parent approaches the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) or a community service organisation for support.
- Safety Assessment: A safety assessment is conducted to determine if the child is in need of care and protection. This assessment involves evaluating the child's well-being and safety within their current family situation.
- Court Orders and Planning: If the child is found to be at risk, legal orders are granted by the Children's Court to facilitate their removal from the family home. Planning begins for the child's placement, including identifying suitable carers and the type of OOHC arrangement, such as foster care, kinship care, or residential care.
- Placement with Carers: The child is then placed with trained and approved carers. This can be with a foster carer, a relative or family friend (kinship care), or in a residential care facility with paid staff.
- Support and Supervision: PSP providers, such as the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), play a crucial role in supporting and supervising the placement. They recruit and authorise carers, provide allowances and support letters, and facilitate relative/kin, foster care, and restoration placements.
- Education and Early Childhood Services: Caseworkers and carers are responsible for supporting the child's education and ensuring access to quality early childhood services. The OOHC Education Pathway is an agreement between DCJ and education sectors in NSW to support children in OOHC academically and help them reach their potential.
- Transition Management: Managing transitions between placements is critical to reducing trauma for the child. Gradual transitions with substantial overlap between the child's previous and new worlds are recommended. Maintaining contact with the previous family can help prevent feelings of abandonment and facilitate the development of trust with new carers.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Considerations: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) guides the placement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It prioritises placing these children with kin or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander carers. Cultural considerations are also made in case planning to support the child's sense of identity and connection to their community and culture.
- Permanent Care: In some cases, OOHC may lead to permanent care arrangements. This involves placing the child with a permanent carer, including foster or kinship carers, with the intention of the child remaining in their care until the age of 18 or beyond.
- Extension of Care: Recent reforms have extended care in all Australian jurisdictions until the age of 21. This provides ongoing financial support to enable young people to remain in their placements or secure affordable living arrangements, supporting a gradual transition to adulthood.
The OOHC placement process aims to provide a safe, stable, and supportive environment for children who cannot live with their families. It involves a collaborative effort from various organisations and individuals to ensure the child's well-being, education, and emotional needs are met during their time in care.
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Frequently asked questions
Out-of-home care (OOHC) is a temporary, medium, or long-term living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live in their family home due to substantiated allegations of emotional abuse and neglect, which are often underpinned by alcohol and drug misuse, mental health issues, and family and domestic violence.
The different types of out-of-home care in Australia include:
- Foster care: a safe and nurturing home with foster carers when there isn't a family member or someone in their social network to care for the child.
- Kinship care: care provided by relatives or a member of a child's social network when a child cannot live with their parents.
- Residential care: a place to live and receive 24-hour support from staff when a child cannot live with family, kinship carers, or foster carers.
The main objective of out-of-home care services in Australia is to support children at risk of harm and abuse by providing a stable, caring, and culturally sensitive environment that meets their physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs.
