National Standards for Out-of-Home Care indicators
The National Standards for Out-of-Home Care (NOOHCS) were a priority under the National Framework 2009–2020. The National Standards were designed to drive improvements and deliver consistency in the quality of care so that children in out-of-home care have the same opportunities as their peers to reach their potential in life wherever they live in Australia. The National Standards focussed on children and young people under 18 whose care arrangements were ordered through the relevant children's court and parental responsibility for the child was transferred to the Minister/Chief Executive.
A summary of NOOHCS indicators with updated 2021–22 data is provided in the table below for quick reference. For further context on the data below, please refer to the CPA 2021–22: National Standards for Out-of-Home care (NOOHCS) indicators data tables. For information on previously released updates to the NOOHCS indicators, please refer to the National framework for protecting Australia’s children indicators.
| Indicator | National data |
|---|---|
| Standard 1 | Children and young people are provided with stability and security during their time in care |
| 1.1 Stability | 64% of children aged 0–17 exiting out-of-home care had 1 or 2 placements in 2021–22 |
| 1.2 Safety | 1.4% of children aged 0–17 were subject to a substantiation while in out-of-home care in 2021–22 |
| 1.4 Stability during the year | 92% of children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care had 1 or 2 placements in 2021–22 |
| Standard 3 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities participate in decisions concerning the care and placement of their children and young people |
| 3.1 Placement of Indigenous children | 63% of Indigenous children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care were living with Indigenous or non-Indigenous relatives or kin or other Indigenous caregivers in 2021–22 |
| Standard 4 | Each child and young person has an individualised plan that details their health, education and other needs |
| 4.1 Case plans | 88% of children aged 0–17 have a current documented and approved case plan in 2021–22 |
| Standard 9 | Children and young people are supported to safely and appropriately maintain connection with family |
| 9.1 Kinship placement | 54% of children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care were placed with relatives or kin in 2021–22 |
| Standard 10 | Children and young people in care are supported to develop their identity, safely and appropriately, through contact with their families, friends, culture, spiritual sources and communities and have their life history recorded as they grow up |
| 10.1 Cultural support plans | 78% of Indigenous children aged 0–17 in care had a current documented and approved cultural support plan in 2021–22 |
| Standard 12 | Carers are assessed and receive relevant ongoing training, development and support, in order to provide quality care |
| 12.1a Foster care households | There were 8,700 foster carer households with a placement at 30 June 2022 |
| 12.1b Foster carer households during the year | There were 12,000 foster carer households with a placement during 2021–22 |
| 12.2 Foster carer numbers | During 2021–22, 1,700 households were commencing foster care and 1,700 were exiting foster care. On an average day in 2021–22 there were 5,300 foster carer households |
| Standard 13 | Children and young people have a transition from care plan commencing at 15 years old which details support to be provided after leaving care |
| 13.1 Leaving care plan | 74% of young people aged 15 and over had a current documented and approved leaving care plan in 2021–22 |
Source: AIHW Child Protection Collection 2021–22