What would the proposed Out of Home Care Strategy 2015-2020 mean for children and young people?

What is the Out of Home Care Strategy?

Out of home care services in the ACT and around Australia are currently facing many challenges including how to respond to rising demand for out of home care places and difficulties in attracting and retaining foster carers given the changing demographics and lifestyles of Australians. Over the course of 2013, the Community Services Directorate has been conducting research and talking with stakeholders and staff about future directions for the ACT’s out of home care services. An Issues Paper was released for consultation in August 2013 and a Discussion Paper in November 2013 and written submissions received from a range of organizations and individuals. Many people also participated in consultation forums or other events such as a co-design project. We are now entering a final stage of consultation prior to preparing the Out of Home Care Strategy 2015-20 for government consideration. A range of consultation sessions have been organized for stakeholders and staff over the course of May 2014. Written submissions are also welcome and feedback needs to be provided by 2 June 2014. Feedback should be provided through the following channels: Sarah Kirk, Project Officer, Out of Home Care Strategy Email: [email protected] Post: Sarah Kirk Care and Protection Services Community Services Directorate GPO Box 158 Canberra ACT 2601. You can also email Sarah with any other enquiries about the Strategy or consultation process.

Page 1 of 3 What changes are proposed under the Out of Home Care Strategy 2015-2020 that will affect children and young people?

The proposed Out of Home Care Strategy 2015-2020 is designed to deliver a care system governed by the understanding that all children and young people who enter care have suffered trauma as a consequence of both the circumstances that led them to enter care and the loss of familiar relationships and environments. The Strategy places the child or young person at the centre and recasts all system activity as supporting a child-focused therapeutic intent. The service system aims to achieve positive, safe, healing relationships and practices that are informed by a sound understanding of trauma, attachment and child development. Necessarily, the proposed Strategy will underline to all participants in the care system the importance of listening and responding to children and young people’s views and wishes and new policy and procedures will reflect this commitment. The Strategy is predicated on the belief that children and young people want to be loved, feel secure and to have a “normal” life. The Strategy seeks to maximise the flexibility of responses to children and young people’s needs. It also recognises that the families of children entering care usually have complex and often intergenerational problems that also require customised responses. The Strategy proposes a significant increase in funding to ensure children receive comprehensive assessments upon entering care and at regular intervals and to fund recommended interventions and supports. It refocuses resources and attention on placement prevention or alternatively a speedy return home. Where the child or young person cannot return home in a timely manner, priority will be given to finalising a permanent alternative family setting for the child to grow up in. It prioritises kinship care as the preferred form of care for children who cannot live with their own parents and provides additional resources for the training and support of kinship carers. The Strategy proposes to devolve responsibility to out of home care agencies for case management of children on long term orders which will reduce the number of caseworkers involved with a child and carer from two (Care and Protection Services and the foster care or residential care agency) to one (the foster care or residential care agency). The Strategy will explore an option for a number of complex, troubled children and young people to have the undivided attention of a professional foster carer who is paid a salary to stay at home and focus on the young person’s needs.

Page 2 of 3 The employment of professional foster carers would also increase the options for keeping large sibling groups together. The Strategy proposes to enhance support for young people transitioning from care, including continuing therapeutic plans and meeting associated expenses until the age of 21; providing additional caseworkers to support young adults; and creating an option to continue to pay the carer subsidy until the age of 21. The Strategy also proposes to strengthen oversight and monitoring of the system and incentivise providers to meet performance targets such as: completing therapeutic assessments; ensuring therapeutic plans (care plans) are current and signed by all parties including the young person; annual review reports are completed on time and to an acceptable quality; children have an up to date Child Health Passport and the like. The vision statement for the proposed Strategy is:

Children and young people in care – growing up strong, safe and connected

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