Resource Sheet
Number 8
Updated April 2009


Children in care

Formerly published as Foster Care

Compiled by Nick Richardson, Mel Irenyi, Joan Kelleher and Briony Horsfall
National Child Protection Clearinghouse.
Published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies
ISSN 1448-9112 (Online)

You can access this resource sheet in HTML or PDF(220 KB) format. You will need an Acrobat Reader which is free from the Adobe Systems Web site .

What is out-of-home care?

Out-of-home care refers to the care children and young people up to 18 years of age who are unable to live with their families (often due to child abuse and neglect). It involves the placement of a child or young person with alternate caregivers on a short- or long-term basis (Victorian Government Department of Human Services, 2003).

There are three main types of out-of-home care:

Out-of-home care can be arranged either formally or informally. Informal care refers to arrangements made without intervention by statutory authorities or courts; and formal care occurs following a child protection intervention (either by voluntary agreement or care and protection court order). This resource sheet will describe those children in out-of-home care in Australia who are on care and protection orders.

How many children live in out-of-home care in Australia?

The most recent statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2009) report that, as of 30 June 2008, there were 31,166 Australian children living in out-of-home care. Table 1 shows the number of children in Australia admitted to out-of-home care, by age group, in each state and territory during 2007-08.

Table 1. Children admitted to out-of-home care by age group, states and territories, 2007-08.
Age (years)
NSW
Vic1
Qld
WA
SA
Tas
ACT
NT
Australia
<1
730
416
554
206
114
47
28
32
2,127
1-4
1,150
762
784
224
170
82
36
79
3,287
5-9
1,133
694
728
199
157
64
37
65
3,077
10-14
1,141
816
807
185
154
81
53
85
3,322
15-17
311
339
273
41
57
27
13
15
1,076
Unknown
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
Total
4,467
3,027
3,146
855
652
301
167
276
12,891
 
Per cent
<1
16.3
13.7
17.6
24.1
17.5
15.6
16.8
11.6
16.5
1-4
25.8
25.2
24.9
26.2
26.1
27.2
21.6
28.6
25.5
5-9
25.4
22.9
23.1
23.3
24.1
21.3
22.2
23.6
23.9
10-14
25.6
27.0
25.7
21.6
23.6
26.9
31.7
30.8
25.8
15-17
7.0
11.2
8.7
4.8
8.7
9.0
7.8
5.4
8.3
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

Notes: (1) Due to new service and data reporting arrangements, the Victorian child protection data as of 2006-07 may not be fully comparable with previous years' data.
The table includes all children admitted to out-of-home care for the first time, as well as those children returning to care who had exited care more than two months previously. Children admitted to out-of-home care more than once during the year were only counted at the first admission. Percentages exclude children of unknown age. Percentages in tables may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009, p. 55)

The number of children in out-of-home care has risen every year over the last 10 years (AIHW, 2009). Since 30 June 1998, the number of children in out-of-home care has increased by 115%. The numbers rose almost 10% in 2007-08. At 30 June 2008, the rate of children aged 0-17 years in out-of-home care was 6.2 children per 1,000, compared to a rate of 3.1 per 1,000 at 30 June 1998 (AIHW, 2009).

What percentage of children in out-of-home care live in foster care in Australia?

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics show that 94% of all children living in out-of-home care in Australia are in home-based care. Of that figure, 48% are in foster care, 45% are in relative/kinship care and 1% are in a different kind of home-based care (AIHW, 2009).

Table 2 compares the proportion of children in out-of-home care by living arrangements for each state and territory. Of children in out-of-home care, the Northern Territory has a relatively high proportion in foster care (62.1%), and New South Wales has a relatively high proportion placed with relatives or kin (56.9%) compared to other states and territories (AIHW, 2009).

Table 2. Proportion (%) of children in out-of-home care, by living arrangements, states and territories, as at 30 June 2008
Type of placement
NSW
Vic
Qld
WA
SA
Tas
ACT
NT
Australia
Foster care
40.2
48.9
60.5
46.4
49.5
56.8
48.0
62.1
47.7
Relatives/kin
56.9
36.1
33.7
44.6
36.0
27.1
39.5
18.1
45.0
Other home-based care
-
6.1
-
-
0.2
6.2
-
-
1.1
Total home based care
97.1
91.1
94.2
91.0
85.7
90.1
87.5
80.2
93.8
Family group homes
-
-
-
2.0
-
5.4
-
3.5
0.3
Residential care
2.3
8.4
5.8
5.7
9.0
3.0
11.1
1.0
4.8
Independent living
0.5
0.5
-
0.9
1.4
0.3
1.2
0.8
0.5
Other
-
-
-
0.4
3.9
1.2
0.2
14.6
0.5
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

Note: Percentages in tables may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009, p. 58).

How many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children live in out-of-home care?

As of August 2006, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children comprised 4.2% of all children aged 0-17 years in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2007) yet in 2007-08 they constituted 29.1% of those children placed in out-of-home care. In all jurisdictions, the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children on placement orders was higher than that for other children. As of June 2008, there were 9,070 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care in Australia - a placement rate of 41.3 per 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-17 years. In contrast, the rate for non-Indigenous children was 4.6 per 1,000. This indicates that the national rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care was almost 9 times the rate for other children (AIHW, 2009). There was substantial variation across the states and territories, with the placement rate of Indigenous children varying from 11.3 per 1,000 in the Northern Territory to 66.3 per 1,000 in New South Wales (AIHW, 2009).

What is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle?

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle has been endorsed in legislation or policy, in all Australian states and territories. The principle states the preferred order of placement for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child who has been removed from their birth family. The preferred order is for the child to be placed with:

Only if an appropriate placement cannot be found from these three groups can an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child be placed with a non-Indigenous carer (Lock, 1997).

The principle provides an important acknowledgement that previous policies caused suffering to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and reflects the right of Indigenous people to raise their children and retain them in their communities (Lock, 1997).

Children placed in one of the three preferred options are described as having been placed in accordance with the principle. The percentage of children placed in accordance with the principal varied substantially across jurisdictions from 35.3% in Tasmania to 84.5% of placements in New South Wales (see Figure 1). In Australia in 2007-08, 72% of Indigenous children were placed in accordance with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (AIHW, 2009).

Figure 1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, states and territories, 30 June 2008

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009, p. 64).

Figure 1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, states and territories, 30 June 2008


For more information see Resource Sheet No. 10, Child Protection and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

How are foster carers reimbursed?

State and territory governments pay foster care subsidies to carers. The size of the subsidy varies between the states and territories. With the exception of NSW, subsidies increase with the age of the young person in care. Table 3 shows the rates of subsidies provided to foster carers across each Australian state and territory as at 1 July 2006.

Some carers may be able to access additional payments from state governments; for example, if a child has been classified as having very high needs.

In addition, caregivers may be entitled to a range of benefits funded by the Commonwealth Government. For example, foster carers can access Family Tax Benefits and Health Care Cards for foster children in their care, regardless of means testing (Australian Foster Care Association, Centrelink, & Department of Family and Community Services, 2004; Higgins et al., 2005).

Table 3. Standard subsidy rates to foster carers across states and territories, as at 1 July 2006
Age
TAS
(1/7/05)2,3
WA
(1/3/06)2
NT
(1/7/06)2
SA
(1/7/06)2
VIC
(1/7/06)2
ACT4
(1/7/06)2
QLD
(1/7/06)2
NSW5
(1/7/06)2
2
130
109
114
94
119
122
135
187
3
86
109
114
94
119
122
135
187
4
86
109
114
94
119
122
135
187
5
110
109
123
101
119
138
135
210
6
110
109
123
101
119
138
158
210
7
110
137
123
101
119
138
158
210
8
110
137
148
108
124
161
158
210
9
110
137
148
108
124
161
158
210
10
129
137
148
108
124
161
158
210
11
129
137
148
108
141
161
192
210
12
129
137
167
131
141
184
192
210
13
129
165
167
131
190
184
192
210
14
169
165
167
131
190
184
192
282
15
169
165
201
161
190
222
192
282
16
169
165
201
161
190
222
182
282
17
138
165
201
161
190
222
182
282

Notes: (1) All amounts quoted above are rounded to the nearest dollar. These figures are only one component of many carer payments. State/territory policies and payments for contingencies and other child-related costs must also be considered in the broader payment context. (2) Indicates date on which payment first became operative. (3) The Tasmanian CPI is calculated in September-October each year and then back-dated and back-paid to 1 July. (4) The ACT rate was increased on 1 July 2006 by $5 across the board, as a fuel compensation, on 1 July 2006. (5) New NSW subsidy payments and contingency payment arrangements were announced on 10 September 2006 and were back-dated to 1 July 2006.

Source: Australian Foster Care Association (AFCA), 2006

What does foster care cost?

Recurrent expenditure on child protection and out-of-home care services was approximately $2 billion across Australia in 2007-08. Nationally, out-of-home care services accounted for the majority (64% or $1.3 billion) of this expenditure (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, 2009). A study by the Social Policy Research Centre found that the cost of caring for children in foster care is, on average, 52% higher than the costs of caring for other children not in care (McHugh, 2002).

What are some of the key issues/challenges in foster care in Australia today?

Many children in out-of-home-care still experience multiple placement changes (Ainsworth, 2001; Delfabbro, Barber, & Cooper, 2000; Forde, 1999). This can be a concern for young people in care. In a survey of 1,767 Queensland children and young people in care, almost 20% of respondents were worried about having to move to another placement in the next few months (Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian, 2008).

Recruiting enough carers to cope with the increased demand for foster carers is a concern for most states and territories (Rhodes, Orme, & Buehler, 2001; Rindefleisch, Bean, & Denby, 1998). Some are advocating for the professionalisation of foster carers in a bid to facilitate recruitment and help the increasing number of children coming into the system with complex and challenging behaviour problems (Butcher, 2005).

With the reliance on home-based care and the problems recruiting sufficient numbers of foster carers, there has a rapid increase in the proportion of children in kinship care (Ainsworth & Maluccio, 1998; Leslie, Landsverk, Horton, Ganger, & Newton, 2000). It is now often considered to be the preferred option of alternative care for the child (Beeman & Boisen, 1999). However, at this stage, there is insufficient research evidence to demonstrate whether or not kinship care produces better outcomes for children (Bromfield & Osborn, 2007a, 2007b).

References

Ainsworth, F. (2001). After ideology: The effectiveness of residential programs for "at risk" adolescents. Children Australia, 26(2), 11-18.

Ainsworth, F., & Maluccio, A. N. (1998). Kinship care: False dawn or new hope? Australian Social Work, 51(4), 3-8.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007). 2006 Census tables: Australia. Age by Indigenous status and sex, July 2007 (Catalogue No. 20680). Canberra: Author. Retrieved 27 November 2007, from: http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au

Australian Foster Care Association. (2006). Comparison of state and territory foster care payments. Retrieved 27 November 2007, from: http://www.fostercare.org.au/docs/2006basicsubsidycomp270906.pdf

Australian Foster Care Association, Centrelink, & Department of Family and Community Services. (2004). Australian Government financial support for foster families. Canberra: Australian Foster Care Association. Retrieved 27 November 2007, from: http://www.fostercare.org.au/info.html

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2009). Child protection Australia 2007-08 (Child Welfare Series No. 45). Canberra: Author.

Beeman, S., & Boisen, L. (1999). Child welfare professionals' attitudes toward kinship foster care. Child Welfare, 78, 315-337.

Bromfield, L. M., & Osborn, A. (2007a). Australian out-of-home care research: Kinship care (Research Brief No. 8). Retrieved 27 November 2007, from: http://www.aifs.gov.au/nch/pubs/brief/rb10/rb10.html

Bromfield, L. M., & Osborn, A. (2007b). "Getting the big picture": A synopsis and critique of Australian out-of-home care research (Child Abuse Prevention Issues No. 26). Retrieved 27 November 2007, from: http://www.aifs.gov.au/nch/pubs/issues/issues26/issues26.html

Butcher, A. (2005). Upping the ante! The training and status of foster carers in Queensland. Children Australia, 30, 25-30.

Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian, (2008). Views of children and young people in foster care, Brisbane: Queensland Government.

Delfabbro, P., Barber, J., & Cooper, L. (2000). Placement disruption and dislocation in South Australian substitute care. Children Australia, 25(2), 16-20.

Forde, L. (1999). Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions. Brisbane: Queensland Government.

Leslie, L. K., Landsverk, J., Horton, M. B., Ganger, W., & Newton, R. R. (2000). The heterogeneity of children and their experiences in kinship care. Child Welfare, 79(3), 315-334.

Lock, J. (1997). The Aboriginal Child Placement Principle. Sydney: New South Law Reform Commission.

McHugh, M. (2002). The costs of caring: A study of appropriate foster care payments for stable and adequate out-of-home care in Australia. Sydney: NSW Association of Childrens Welfare Agencies.

Rhodes, K. W., Orme, J. G., & Buehler, C. (2001). A comparison of family foster parents who quit, consider quitting and plan to continue fostering. Social Services Review, 75, 45-49.

Rindefleisch, N., Bean, G., & Denby, K. (1998). Why foster parents continue or cease to foster. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 15, 5-24.

Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. (2009). Report on government services 2008. Vol. 2: Health, community services, housing. Melbourne: Productivity Commission.

 

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