Summary
This report presents data on 14 indicators under the Permanency Outcomes Performance Framework (POPF). The POPF is a national data and evaluation framework designed to provide objective measurement of permanency outcomes for children in out-of-home care. Aspects of permanency covered by the indicators include:
- Preservation (where families are supported to keep children at home safely)
- 81% of children who were the subject of a substantiation of abuse or neglect were not admitted to out-of-home care within 12 months of the substantiation.
- Reunification (where children are returned home safely after time in out-of-home care)
- 20% of children in out-of-home care were reunified.
- Stability of reunification (whether reunification is still in place after 12 months)
- 84% of children who exited to reunification did not return to out-of-home care within 12 months.
- Types of permanency outcome achieved where reunification is not possible (third-party parental responsibility order or adoption)
- 2% of children exited out-of-home care to a third-party parental responsibility order.
- 94 children were adopted from out-of-home care.
- Stability of permanency outcomes
- 87% of children who left out-of-home care to a permanency outcome did not return to out-of-home care within 12 months.
- All but 4 children (99.6%) who exited to a third-party parental responsibility order did not return to out-of-home care within 12 months.
- No children who exited to adoption returned to out-of-home care within 12 months.
Indicators on timely and informed decision-making related to permanency arrangements are also presented. These focus on achievement of orders and permanency outcomes within 2 years of admission to out-of-home care.
- 88% of children who received a finalised care and protection order did so within 2 years of admission to out-of-home care.
- 76% of children who received a permanency outcome did so within 2 years of admission to out-of-home care.
Indicators also cover permanency outcomes for those children where it is deemed in their best interests to remain in long term out-of-home care. These indicators focus on children who have been in care for 2 or more years, covering:
- legal stability (which legal orders children are placed on and how long it takes to achieve their order)
- 82% of children who had been in out-of-home care for 2 or more years were on long-term guardianship orders.
- placement stability (time in placement and number of placements)
- 87% of children who had been in out-of-home care for 2 or more years had less than 3 placements in their current episode of care.
A summary of all POPF indicators is provided in the table below for quick reference.
| Indicator | National data |
|---|---|
| Domain 1 | Permanent, safe and stable care |
| 1.1a | About 46,200 children (8 per 1,000) aged 0–17 were in out-of-home care at 30 June 2021. |
| 1.1b | About 31,400 children (68%) aged 0–17 in out-of-home care at 30 June 2021 had been in out-of-home care for 2 years or more. |
| Preservation | |
| 1.2 | 81% of children aged 0–16 who were the subject of a substantiation in 2019–20 were not admitted to out-of-home care within 12 months of the substantiation. |
| Reunification and permanent care | |
| 1.3 | 20% of children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care (excluding children on long-term guardianship orders) were reunified in 2020–21. |
| 1.4 | 2% of children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care received a third-party parental responsibility order in 2020–21. |
| 1.5 | Less than 1% of children (94 children) aged 0–17 in out-of-home care were adopted in 2020–21. |
| 1.6 | 87% of children aged 0–16 who exited out-of-home care to a permanency outcome in 2019–20 did not return to out-of-home care within 12 months. |
| 1.6a | 84% of children aged 0–16 who exited out-of-home care to reunification in 2019–20 did not return to out-of-home care within 12 months. |
| 1.6b | Almost 100% of children aged 0–16 who exited out-of-home care to a third-party parental responsibility order in 2019–20 did not return to out-of-home care within 12 months. |
| 1.6c | All children (100%) aged 0–16 who exited out-of-home care to adoption in 2019–20 did not return to out-of-home care within 12 months. |
| Stability | |
| 1.7a | 82% of children aged 2–17 in out-of-home care for 2 or more years at 30 June 2021 were on long-term guardianship orders. |
| 1.7b | 87% of children aged 2–17 in out-of-home care for 2 or more years at 30 June 2021 experienced less than 3 placements in the last 2 years. |
| Domain 2 | Timely and informed decision-making on permanency |
| 2.1 | 88% of children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care received a finalised care and protection order within 2 years of admission to out-of-home care in 2020–21. |
| 2.2 | 76% of children aged 0–17 in out-of-home care received a permanency outcome or long-term guardianship order within 2 years of admission to out-of-home care in 2020–21. |
Source: Supplementary data tables, AIHW Child Protection Collection.