National Out-of-Home Care Standards indicators
The National Out-of-Home Care Standards (the National Standards) 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.
The successor to the National Framework – Safe & Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031 (Safe and Supported) was endorsed by Community Services Ministers and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group and released in December 2021. Safe and Supported is a 10-year whole-of-nation strategy that aims to reduce rates of child abuse and neglect by transforming systems and services that support vulnerable and/or disadvantaged children and families through governments partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
With the aim to refresh the National-Out-of-Home Care Standards and Indicators, this release updates data under the previous National Standards as indicator reporting related to safe and supported is currently under development.
A summary of NOOHCS indicators with updated 2022–23 data is provided in the table below for quick reference. For further context on the data below, please refer to the CPA 2022–23: 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 | 62% of children aged 0–17 exiting out-of-home care had 1 or 2 placements in 2022–23 |
1.2 Safety | 1.4% of children aged 0–17 were subject to a substantiation while in out-of-home care in 2022–23 |
1.4 Stability during the year | 94% of children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care had 1 or 2 placements in 2022–23 |
| 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 2022–23 |
| Standard 4 | Each child and young person has an individualised plan that details their health, education and other needs |
4.1 Case plans | 89% of children aged 0–17 have a current documented and approved case plan in 2022–23 |
| 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 2022–23 |
| 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 | 83% of Indigenous children aged 0–17 in care had a current documented and approved cultural support plan in 2022–23 |
| 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 8,300 foster carer households with a placement at 30 June 2023 |
12.1b Foster carer households during the year | There were 11,800 foster carer households with a placement during 2022–23 |
12.2 Foster carer numbers | During 2022–23, 950 households were commencing foster care and 1,500 were exiting foster care. On an average day in 2022–23 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 | 62% of young people aged 15 and over had a current documented and approved leaving care plan |
Source: AIHW Child Protection Collection 2022–23