Child protection: out-of-home care

What is out-of-home care?

Some young people are placed in out-of-home care because they were the subject of a child protection substantiation and require a more protective environment. Other situations in which a child may be placed in out-of-home care include those where the parents are incapable of providing adequate care for the child, or where alternative accommodation is needed during times of family conflict. There are no national data available on the reasons young people are placed in out-of-home care (For more information, see Child protection Australia: 2013–14) (AIHW 2015).

Out-of-home care is considered an intervention of last resort, with the current emphasis being to keep young people with their families wherever possible. Where young people need to be placed in out-of-home care, an attempt is made to reunite young people with their families. If it is necessary to remove a child from their family, then placement within the wider family or community is preferred. This is particularly the case with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, and is outlined in the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle (See ‘Notes’ below).

Do rates vary across population groups?

At 30 June 2014, in the AIHW Child Protection Data Collection, the national rate of young people aged 12–17 living in out-of-home care was 8.2 per 1,000 young people, with little difference between boys and girls (8.2 and 8.3 per 1,000 respectively). Young people aged 12–14 were most likely to be in out-of-home care (9.2 per 1,000 young people) compared with young people aged 15–17 (7.3 per 1,000 young people). Indigenous young people were over 7 times as likely as Other Australian young people to be living in out-of-home care (45.3 per 1,000 Indigenous young people compared with 6.1 per 1,000 Other Australian young people).

Has there been a change over time?

The national rate of young people in out-of-home care increased from 7.0 per 1,000 young people at 30 June 2010 to 8.2 per 1,000 at 30 June 2014. For Indigenous young people, the rate has increased from 35 per 1,000 at 30 June 2010 to 45 per 1,000 at 30 June 2014.

What are the living arrangements for young people in out-of-home care?

In 2014 nearly 85% of young people in out-of-home-care lived in home-based out-of-home care, and a further 13% lived in residential care. Young people aged 15–17 were more likely to live in residential care (18%) than 12–14 year olds (9.3%). Males were also more likely to live in residential care (15%) compared with females (11%). Of those living in home-based care, over half (54%) were living with relatives/kin (other than parents) who were reimbursed. Around 41% were living in foster care. Young people aged 15–17 were slightly more likely than those aged 12–14 to live with relatives/kin (other than parents) who were reimbursed (56% compared with 52%).