The application of the Placement element can be measured by determining the types of carers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care have been placed with; or more specifically, a carer’s relationship to the child. This is measured by indicator 1.1 (to explore data on indicator 1.1, go to the Tableau dashboard):
At 30 June 2021:
- 63% of the 19,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care were living with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or non-Indigenous relatives or kin or other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers.
- in jurisdictions with published data, children living with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin made up the largest group of children in preferred placements except in Tasmania.
The proportion of children in preferred placement types (the placements numbered 1, 2 and 3 in the placement hierarchy) has remained stable since 2017.
Explanatory notes
It should be noted that looking at who a child is eventually placed with is just one way of measuring the application of the Placement element. Application of this element also requires that active efforts are made to find a child’s family, to consult with a child’s family, community representatives and/or Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, to inform placement decisions and to provide support to carers to maximise the success of the placement while minimising the chance of placement breakdown (SNAICC 2017).
Active efforts also include ensuring that a child’s Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is recorded accurately. The coverage of Indigenous status data for children in out-of-home care is generally very high – at 30 June 2021, Indigenous status was unknown for less than 1% of children in out-of-home care nationally. However, it is unknown whether, or to what extent, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being incorrectly recorded as non-Indigenous. Active efforts to address this and the other issues highlighted are intended to improve the chance that a preferred placement (that is, the placements numbered 1, 2 and 3 in the placement hierarchy) will be found for a child. Indicators relating to some of these active efforts are in development.
Placement indicators under development
The following indicators are currently under development under Placement:
| Number |
Indicator |
| Under development |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care who were reconnected to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives and kin through placement change |
| Under development |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care who were reconnected to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives and kin through placement change and remained with relatives for 12 months or more |
| Under development |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care living with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin for the first time |
References
SNAICC – National Voice for our Children (2017) Understanding and applying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle: a resource for legislation, policy, and program development, SNAICC, accessed 16 June 2020.
SNAICC – National Voice for our Children (2018) The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle: a guide to support implementation, SNAICC, accessed 16 June 2020.