What is out of home care in Australia?

OUT-OF-HOME CARE

The ‘why’

Almost 45,400 children are in the Out-of-Home Care system in Australia and this number has been increasing.

More children are entering Out-of-Home Care than those being discharged, while Foster Carers are leaving the system. The system is under pressure.

There are two key needs:

More carers to provide a loving home for every child who needs one, for as long as they need one
Better support for carers to help ensure successful placements for the best outcomes for kids

The outcomes for children with an Out-of-Home Care experience do not tell a good story.

Separation from family is a traumatic experience, and this is often compounded by multiple placements. Relational trauma impacts a child’s brain, biology, body, beliefs and behaviours in significant ways and can have profound long-term impacts.

Research shows that young people leaving care in Australia are more likely to leave school early, be unemployed, be homeless, have children at a young age, have challenges with physical health, mental health and substance abuse, lack informal social support and be involved in the criminal justice system (read more here).

What is Out-of-home Care?

Out-of-home Care (OOHC) is the term used for overnight care for children aged under 18 years of age who are unable to live with their families due to safety concerns.

Children in OOHC are generally on care and protection orders, where legal responsibility for their welfare is held by a child protection department. This involves ongoing case management with the goal of achieving a permanent placement or reunification where suitable.

For some children OOHC is for as little as a few days, however, the majority of children (82%) are in care for one year or more, with 41% in OOHC for over 5 years (AIHW, 2022).

We’ve provided some useful information below to help you understand Out-of-home Care in Australia.

Statistics are sourced from the Australian Institute of health & Welfare Child Protection Report.

Types of Out-of-home Care

Types of Out-of-Home Care placements include:

HOME-BASED CARE: The home of a carer who is reimbursed for care expenses
RESIDENTIAL CARE: A residential building with paid staff
FAMILY GROUP HOMES: A home provided by a department or agency
INDEPENDENT LIVING: A private board or lead tenant household
OTHER: Another living arrangement, such as in a disability service, boarding school, hospital or hotel.

The majority (91%) of children in OOHC are in “HOME-BASED CARE”, which includes:

Kinship (or Relative) Care (54%)
Foster Care (36%)
Other types of home-based care

7% of children in OOHC are in residential care.

Why do children enter Out-of-Home Care?

All families navigate a range of struggles and challenges and there are many different reasons why a child may end up in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC). The main reason children are in care is due to emotional abuse or neglect (75%).

That’s not to say every child in OOHC has experienced abuse or neglect. OOHC includes both court-ordered and voluntary placements. Some children may be placed in OOHC care when they need a more protective environment, parents aren’t able to provide adequate care, alternative accommodation is needed during times of conflict, or parents or carers need respite.

Types of Carers

Please note that specific terms, policies and practices differ across Australian States and Territories. Please refer to locally applicable information on the state-based child protection websites (links can be found here).

Relative/Kinship Carer	Care is provided by a child’s relatives, close family friend or member of the child’s community, when the children is unable to live at home, for short- or long-term placements. Learn more about Kinship Care here.
Foster Carer	Care is provided by a foster carer who is not related to the child, when the child is unable to live at home or be cared for by a relative, for short- or long-term placements. It can include: – Short-term Foster Care (may also be known as Interim or Restoration Care) – Long-term Foster Care – Emergency Foster Care (may also be known as Immediate, or Crisis Care) – Specialised, Intensive or Therapeutic Foster Care Learn more about Foster Care here.
Respite Carer	Short-term accommodation is provided for children where the intention is for the child to return to their prior residence (OOHC or family home), such as on weekends, or a few weeks.
Long-term Guardianship/ Permanent Carer	When a care and protection order has transferred full parental responsibility to the carer, usually until the child turns 18. Please note, this differs to adoption. Learn more about permanent care and adoption here.
Informal Carer	We also want to celebrate and support the significant and often unrecognized contribution of informal carers. Over 35,200 Australian children 0-12 years live with a grandparent as their primary caregiver. These carers may not be engaged with the child protection system but are voluntarily and often sacrificially stepping into hard situations to help care for kids.

Permanency

One of the most unique and important things to know about Foster Care is that it is temporary. The goal is family restoration, reunifying children with their families where possible.

Where this is not possible, a child is placed with another legally permanent family, which may be relatives, adoptive families who obtain legal custody, or guardians.

There are differences in definitions and thresholds between States and Territories but the main types of permanency events include:

Reunification (or restoration),
Third-party parental order,
Long-term guardianship or custody order, or
Adoption.

Learn more about permanent care and adoption here.

There are different motivations and pathways involved in different types of care. It may be possible that Foster Carers could become Permanent Carers or Adoptive parents of a child in their care, but not always. Those stepping into Foster Care need to be aware of this and the unknowns that can be a challenging part of the journey.

Curious about exploring
Foster Care?

Are you able to provide a safe and loving home for a child or young person, either part-time or full-time?
Find out more about Foster Care.

Find out more

Foster Care is not for you, but you want to help?

There are so many ways you can make a difference in the Out-of-Home Care space.
Find out how you can get involved.

What can I do?

Want to get your church involved?

We provide a bridge between the local church and the child protection system, offering resources and opportunities to make a difference.

Find out more

Out-of-home Care in Australia

The ‘why’

What is Out-of-home Care?

Curious about exploring Foster Care?

Foster Care is not for you, but you want to help?

Want to get your church involved?

Curious about exploring
Foster Care?