Care and protection orders are legal orders or arrangements that give child protection departments partial responsibility for a child’s welfare. Between 30 June 2015 and 30 June 2019, the rate of children on care and protection orders increased from 9 to 11 per 1,000 children.
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 has been declined by the carer).
Nationally, there was a small increase in the rate for children in out-of-home care at 30 June, from 8 per 1,000 children in 2015 to 9 per 1,000 children in 2017, followed by a fall back to 8 per 1,000 children in 2019.
This fall corresponds with jurisdictions’ aligning with the national definition of out-of-home care at different times by not counting children on third-party parental responsibility orders as being in out-of-home care.
As at 30 June 2019, the vast majority (92%) of children in out‑of‑home care were in home‑based care, mostly with relative or kinship carers (52%), or in foster care (39%). Another 6.4% were living in residential care, mainly used for children with complex needs.
Approximately 30,300 (67%) of the 44,900 children in out-of-home care at 30 June 2019 had been in long-term care (2 years or more). This included:
- 29% who had been in out-of-home care for between 2 years and less than 5 years
- 38% who had been in out of home care for 5 years or more.
Most (81%) children who had been in out-of-home care for 2 years or more were on long-term guardianship or custody orders. Another 4.7% were on short-term guardianship or custody orders (Figure 4).
Permanency planning is used in all states and territories with a view to achieving a stable long-term care arrangement for all children in out-of-home care (AIHW 2016, 2019, 2020).
Approximately 4,400 children (13%) in out-of-home care exited to a permanency outcome in 2018–19. Over 3,700 children were reunified with family during 2018–19, with a further 680 children leaving out-of-home care to third-party parental responsibility orders.