Read an overview of out-of-home care (OOHC) in Victoria, the different types of care, and challenges and innovations in practice.
Out of Home Care (OoHC) refers to the provision of care and accommodation for children and young people who are unable to live with their birth families due to circumstances such as abuse, neglect, family breakdown, or other issues compromising their safety or well-being. In Victoria, OoHC encompasses a range of care options, including foster care, kinship care, residential care, and supported accommodation. These arrangements aim to provide children and young people with stable and supportive living environments while addressing their emotional, physical, and developmental needs1. Efforts are focused on maintaining the stability of their placement and/or reuniting the child and their family if appropriate.
In 2019 a nationally consistent definition for OoHC was implemented.
“Out-of-home care is overnight care for children aged under 18 who are unable to live with their families due to child safety concerns. This includes placements approved by the department responsible for child protection for which there is ongoing case management and financial payment (including where a financial payment has been offered but declined by the carer). Out-of-home care also includes legal (court‑ordered) and voluntary placements, as well as placements made to provide respite for parents and/or carers.”
OoHC excludes:
Definition taken from the Australian Institute of Health, 20212.
Children and young people enter OoHC in Victoria through two main pathways: removal from their family home by Child Protection following an investigation, or voluntary placement by parents seeking support from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) or community service organisations3.
This module provides an overview of the OoHC system in Victoria. It includes information about the nature of the care system, demographics of care leavers, a brief history of the care system, including an insight into the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in the care system; how the Victorian care system works; and the process and challenges associated with leaving the care system.
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Kinship care involves placing a child or young person with a relative or someone with a significant connection to the child, such as a family friend. This form of care is preferred, when possible, as it aims to maintain the child’s connection to their family and cultural identity.
Foster care involves placing a child or young person with a trained and approved foster carer or family. Foster carers provide a temporary and supportive living arrangement for the child, with the goal of reunification with the biological family or achieving a permanent care arrangement.
Residential care refers to the provision of care in group homes, residential facilities, or other settings staffed by trained professionals. This type of care is generally for children and young people who may have complex needs and require a more structured and supervised environment.
Care leavers refer to a person who has been in the out-of-home care system as a child or young person and has subsequently left the care system, typically upon reaching 18 years old. Care leavers in Victoria often face unique challenges as they transition from care into adulthood and independent living. These challenges can include issues related to education, employment, housing and mental health. Many care leavers may lack the support networks and resources that are typically available to young people who have grown up in a stable family environment.
In Victoria, the provision of OoHC is guided by the National Standards of OoHC4 which were developed collaboratively by the Australian Government, states and territories to ensure consistency and quality in the provision of care for children and young people across Australia.
The National Standards for OoHC include:
Standard 1: Children and young people will be provided with stability and security during their time in care.
Standard 2: Children and young people participate in decisions that have an impact on their lives.
Standard 3: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities participate in the decisions concerning the care and placement of their children and young people.
Standard 4: Each child and young person have an individualised plan that details their health, education and other needs.
Standard 5: Children and young people have their physical, developmental, psychosocial and mental health needs assessed and attended to in a timely way.
Standard 6: Children and young people in care access and participate in education and early childhood services to maximise their educational outcomes.
Standard 7: Children and young people up to at least 18 years are supported to be engaged in appropriate education, training and/or employment.
Standard 8: Children and young people in care are supported to participate in social and/or recreational activities of their choice, such as sporting, cultural or community activity.
Standard 9: Children and young people are supported to safely and appropriately maintain connection with family, be they birth parents, siblings or other family members.
Standard 10: Children and young people in care are supported to develop their identity, safely and appropriately, through contact with their families, friends, culture, spiritual sources and communities and have their life history recorded as they grow up.
Standard 11: Children and young people in care are supported to safely and appropriately identify and stay in touch, with at least one other person who cares about their future, who they can turn to for support and advice.
Standard 12: Carers are assessed and receive relevant ongoing training, development and support, in order to provide quality care.
Standard 13: Children and young people have a transition from care plan commencing at 15 years old which details support to be provided after leaving care.
However not all these standards are easily met within the OoHC sector currently, this is in part due to funding issues, different ways of working across agencies and limitations in collaborative work across sectors including, education, health, and the care sector. This knowledge hub aims to help reduce some of these barriers.
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