What is out-of-home care?

Out-of-home care provides alternative accommodation for children and young people who are unable to live with their parents. In most cases, children in out-of-home care are also on a care and protection order.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) characterises a number of different living arrangements as out-of-home care:

  • Foster care – where placement is in the home of a carer who is receiving a payment from a state or territory for caring for a child.
  • Relative or kinship care – where the caregiver is a family member or a person with a pre-existing relationship to the child.
  • Family group homes – where placement is in a residential building which is owned by the jurisdiction and which are typically run like family homes, have a limited number of children and are cared for around-the-clock by resident carers.
  • Residential care – where placement is in a residential building whose purpose is to provide placements for children and where there are paid staff. This category includes facilities where there are rostered staff and where staff are offsite.
  • Independent living – such as private boarding arrangements.

Out-of-home care plays a significant role in shaping the lives and development of children and young people who experience it. Out-of-home care that is safe and stable can help children and young people recover from the experience of abuse and neglect.

Out-of-home care services are designed to provide a safe environment, contribute to improving developmental outcomes and assist in addressing issues that led to the out-of-home care placement.

Children and young people placed in out-of-home care are likely to have experienced a significant life disruption and loss and will require support to catch up on some developmental stages.

Children and young people with a disability who have experienced abuse and neglect will require specialised, highly skilled and well-supported out-of-home care.

Many children growing up in institutional and other out-of-home care in the last century were denied the basic right of all children to receive protection, support and loving care. All Australians are committed to learning from this history and improving the opportunities given to our children and young people.

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DSS2989 | Permalink: www.dss.gov.au/node/2989