A collection of helpful resources to support work with children and young people in out-of-home care.
Placement stability in out-of-home care refers to the consistency in a child or young person’s living arrangements within the care system. One way to measure placement stability is the number of placements or the timing of moves.1 Another way to measure stability is by felt stability, which is a young person’s sense of emotional security within their placement.2 Greater felt stability is associated with better long-term outcomes. However, the lack of placement changes does not always imply a sense of security and stability for the young person and highlights the complexity of measuring placement stability in OOHC.
This short AIFS article details the multiple meanings of permanency in out-of-home care should promote a sense of belonging from a secure home, emotionally connected relationships and right to culture.
This short video depicts how we can demonstrate empathy to help support children and young people. It can provide insights to carers about what language to use and what their child or young person may be experiencing.
This AIFS policy and practice paper highlights the research into placement moves in out-of-home care.
This short video details the lived experience of a care experienced adult, who spent most of his life in care and the impact of one caring adult in changing the direction of his life. *trigger warning
This short film was created by Natasha Anderson who has lived experience of being in care. It depicts her journey through care, her experiences and things that helped her. *trigger warning.
What does stability in residential care mean? Part 2
What does stability in residential care mean? Part 1
Children and young people living in out-of-home care (OOHC) have the right to education that supports their growth and potential. This education should provide stability and opportunities for positive relationships with peers and teachers. However, they often face challenges that impact their educational engagement and success. An inquiry into the experiences of students in OOHC reveals that they face higher rates of school disengagement compared to their peers. In 2022, secondary school students in care had an average attendance rate that was 8% lower than the general student population, with 64% experiencing chronic absence.5
LOOKOUT Centre across Victoria, enable educational support for children and young people in care.
This resource hub provides easy-to-use resources for professionals working with children in care to support educational engagement. These resources are based on evidence and can be used to inform conversation with carers and educators to help children in care stay connected to learning.
This resources explains the obligation as an early childhood professional to support children place in out-of-home care.
Children in out-of-home care (OOHC) face higher risks for mental health and health challenges compared to their peers. Their mental health is influenced by various factors, including pre-care experiences and specific OOHC conditions. Tailored support is essential to address their unique needs. Key factors highlighted by children in OOHC for their mental health include feeling safe, being informed about their care, and maintaining important relationships. More holistic, strengths-based, and participatory research and practices are needed to effectively support their mental health and wellbeing.7
In this podcast from Emerging Minds, you will hear from a foster mum with 20 years’ experience, who talks about the importance of building a supportive and nurturing environment for children and how foster carers can prioritise their own self-care.
This practice guide provides information about some key considerations when responding to children who have experienced childhood trauma, and some practice implications.
This practice guide uses learnings from Australian and international research to build practitioner awareness of approaches to support the mental health and wellbeing of children in out-of-home care (OOHC).
The Centre for YouthAOD Practice Development designed a OOHC Toolbox for carers of young people aged between (12-18) who are in care. Click on the relevant links to learn more about areas of concern commonly experienced by young people in OOHC.
This practice guide by the Centre for Excellence helps out-of-home care staff promote online safety for children and young people by enhancing their understanding of digital environments, addressing vulnerabilities, building confidence, and ensuring policy adherence.
This guide from the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care supports carers and professionals in responding to children and young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour, emphasising trauma-informed care, risk assessment, appropriate language, supervision, treatment, and safety planning.
Research into the experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse children and young people in out-of-home care is lacking, this is partly because the government does not collect this data. Some research has identified the importance of cultural matching in foster care.8 Other research identified some protective factors, including collectivist parenting and promoting cultural identity for children in care. Most recommendations revolve around interpreter services and cultural awareness training. It is crucial for children in care to maintain their cultural identity. However this can be challenging for many reasons, including the impact of cultural hybridity where children and young people in care may have adapted to Australian cultural norms, but also wish to maintain connection to their heritage and culture.9
This research summary highlights the way in which government and non-government stakeholders in foster care can develop service systems that maintain cultural identity for culturally diverse child and young people in care.
A good practice guide to support children and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in out-of-home care.
In this resource hub you will find relevant resources, research and practice approaches that can better support your work with multicultural children and young people, and the carers of multicultural children and young people.
This booklet outlines key guidelines to assist professionals in the out-of-home care sector to work with Muslim children and young people.
This report examines culturally diverse children’s experiences in out-of-home care, emphasising safety, wellbeing, and cultural connections, offering insights and recommendations for improving culturally responsive practices in child and family services.
This article explores the complexities of maintaining cultural connections for culturally diverse children in out-of-home care. The S.E.L.F. framework supports practitioners in understanding cultural identity, fostering reflection, and enhancing cultural competency.
This practice brief highlights a cultural newsletter from Settlement Services International that enhances cultural awareness in child and family services. It supports caseworkers, carers, and young people by embedding cultural learning into daily practice.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are over-represented in OOHC, making up more than 43% of children and young people (aged 0–17) in OOHC compared with 6% of children and young people (aged 0–17) in the general population.10 The causes of this statistic, which has doubled since the 1997 Bringing Them Home report11, are inextricably linked with historical policies of forced removals and ongoing intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism, discrimination, and disadvantage. System reform is crucial for improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people and must focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions, strengths, and connection with communities and culture.
Winangay have developed assessment resources and tools which enable organisations and workers to work in stronger, trauma informed and culturally safe ways with Aboriginal kids, families and communities.
VACCA’s resource hub provides resources, tool kits and engaging materials that can support your work with Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander care experienced, children, young people and families.
The Healing Foundation amplifies Stolen Generations survivors’ voices, offering resources on intergenerational trauma, cultural connectedness, and identity to help break the trauma cycle.
This guide from the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care supports Therapeutic Care staff in balancing empowerment and limit setting for children with trauma-based behaviours. It promotes trauma-informed approaches, clear expectations, consistent routines, and developmentally appropriate discipline to foster growth.
This event reflection offers suggestions for ideas to improve spatial design in residential care settings, which can impact young people’s well-being and feelings of safety.
Client mix and client matching in therapeutic care
What makes a good therapeutic residential care worker?
The 10 essential elements of Intensive Therapeutic Care NSW
Creating positive social climates and home-like environments in therapeutic care
This blog by the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care offers practitioners and therapeutic residential care works some ideas about how to involve young people in decisions that affect their lives.
This Trauma Informed Relationship-Based Recovery Reflection tool can be used by an individual or with a group to reflect on what children and young people need to recover from trauma and how you can help meet these needs.
Care-experienced young people also have lower educational expectations and outcomes. Specifically, few care leavers go on to higher education after leaving school, compared with 40% of the general population aged 25-35. For many care leavers there are significant social and economic barriers in getting to TAFE and university. 6
Raising expectations produces a range of free downloadable, and shareable resources that can support care-experienced young people in their educational endeavours.
Better Futures supports young people transitioning from care with flexible, person-centered guidance, promoting autonomy, self-determination, and sustainable livelihoods through coaching and positive risk-taking.
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