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This interim report focuses on hearing the lived experiences of children and young people in alternative care arrangements and lifts up the voices of those who have participated in private hearings as part of this Special Inquiry to date.
Key themes explored in the report include:
- Safety and quality of care
- Stability and communication
- Access to supports and services
- Connection to family, friends, community and culture.
Abstract
Background
Strategies to reduce over-representation of Indigenous children in out-of-home care must start in pregnancy given Indigenous babies are 6 % of infants (<1 year), yet 43 % of infants in out-of-home care.
Objective
To determine if an Indigenous-led, multi-agency, partnership redesign of maternity services decreases the likelihood of babies being removed at birth.
Participants and setting
Women carrying an Indigenous baby/babies who gave birth at the Mater Mothers' Public Hospital, Brisbane (2013–2019).
Methods
A prospective, non-…
Introduction
Children in families affected by substance use disorders are at high risk of being placed in out-of-home care (OOHC). The authors aimed to describe the characteristics of parents who inject drugs and identify correlates associated with child placement in OOHC.
Methods
The authors used baseline data from a community-based cohort of parents who inject drugs (SuperMIX) from Melbourne, Australia. Participants were recruited via convenience, respondent-driven and snowball sampling from April 2008 to November 2020, with follow-up until March 2021. To explore…
Abstract
The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection is a serious concern in Australia. A proportion of this group of children may have been removed from families who are providing an adequately safe and nurturing environment, reflecting false positive errors in decision making. Assuming this to be true, we draw on the decision-making ecology model of judgement and decision making in child protection to speculate on possible causes of such errors. This model suggests that false positive errors would occur if the level of risk children…
Abstract
Although children residing in statutory out-of-home care and those adopted from care are more likely than not to have mental health difficulties requiring clinical intervention or support, their difficulties often remain undetected. Children’s agencies have a duty of care to identify those child clients who require therapeutic and other support services, without regard to the availability of such services. The present article proposes a first-stage mental health screening procedure (calibrated for high sensitivity) for children and adolescents (ages 4–17) in alternative care,…
Abstract
Across Australia and internationally, growing numbers of grandparents are becoming primary carers for grandchildren, both within and outside of formal state care arrangements. Underlying factors include family breakdown, family circumstances where parents are unable to care for their children, or where there are child safety concerns. Some grandparents report a pattern of initially providing care for grandchildren but then experiencing reduced or lost contact that sometimes is not restored, in turn impacting ongoing relationships with grandchildren. A prevailing concern is the…
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction and objectives
In June 2015, the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse conducted public hearings in relation to out‑of‑home care (OOHC) and allegations of child sexual abuse occurring in OOHC settings (Case Study 24). In December 2015, the Royal Commission commissioned national research to answer the following questions:
- What policies and processes does each state or territory government have in place for carer screening, assessment, selection, training and support to prevent or respond effectively to…
Objective:
This article outlines an approach to assessing the quality of relationships between young foster children and their carers. These children are at high risk of disorganised attachment relationships and of developmental psychopathology given their relational experiences prior to and in care. During a semi-structured play interaction the emphasis is on identifying behaviours of clinical interest. This can be complex given the likelihood of atypical or unexpected behaviours expressed within relationships.
Method:
The paper draws on literature on the clinical application of…
Baptcare, OzChild and Anchor, organizations providing Kinship Care services in Victoria, Australia have identified increasing “complexity” in kinship placements and were concerned that the existing kinship care service model did not have the adequate capacity to address this level of “complexity.” Complexity in this case refers to an extensive amount of challenges or “substantial issues” that can negatively affect the wellbeing of the child or the success of the care arrangement overall. These issues could include those in the areas of health, emotional disturbance, social interaction, family…
Recognizing the need for a consistent and standardized framework for the provision of child protection services, the Government of Western Australia’s Department for Child Protection established the following tool. The Department has a legislative role in safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children, and to provide for their protection and care in circumstances where their parents have not given, or are unlikely or unable to give, that protection and care. In recognition of this responsibility, it became evident that the sector would be best suited by one set of standards applicable…