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Young people in residential care in Australia have generally experienced significant childhood trauma and neglect. Consequently, they present with a range of complex and challenging behaviours that pose a risk to themselves and others. Numerous reports have emphasised the need for trauma therapy for children; however, young people in residential care frequently do not access effective therapeutic services. In this article, the authors detail and reflect on the implementation of a treatment package of the Sleeping Dogs method plus Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) to engage young people living in residential care in EMDR therapy to process their complex trauma. IMPLICATIONS An integrated treatment package of Sleeping Dogs method with intensive EMDR can overcome the barriers to the successful implementation of evidence-based trauma treatment with young people living in residential care. Implementation requires collaboration between all systems surrounding the young person and compassionate engagement with families and carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aboriginal children are overrepresented in Australia's child protection system, and limited tools are available to assist with connecting these children to their culture. The Stitching Our Future Together (SOFT) Program, developed in consultation with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples, services, and other specialists, is used within the Department of Communities' Child Protection and Family Support (CPFS) Division in Western Australia to address big emotions and safe behaviours with Aboriginal children in care. This study used phenomenology and social constructivism to explore CPFS staff's perspectives and experiences of the SOFT Program. Seven semistructured in-depth interviews took place with CPFS staff. Five themes were identified: the SOFT Program and its use, culturally responsive practice, facilitating relationships, communication, and recommendations and implementation challenges. Participants expressed that the SOFT Program fostered an understanding of, and communication about, pertinent issues such as family and domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, mental health, and child neglect and abuse. The findings show how staff described the program's capacity to help them navigate complex situations, highlighting the need to incorporate more culturally centred and creative-based work into child protection practice. IMPLICATIONS The SOFT Program positively supports culturally responsive practice and facilitates relationships and communication for child protection workers and children in care. The integration of creative and legislated practices assists with personalising and enhancing the effectiveness of child protection work with children in care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically examines safety and innovation in out-of-home care, with a particular focus on addressing the entrenched overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the child welfare system. Grounded in the practical insights of safe house workers and managers, the purpose of this article is to share an innovative practice case study—the Tangentyere Safe House in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. As a case study within an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation, Tangentyere Safe House emerges as a site for understanding the confluence of cultural safety, familial connections, and strategies to mitigate overrepresentation. Key themes explored include promoting cultural safety and supporting connections with the family of origin. Through a methodological lens that privileges practice-based knowledge, this article captured the on-the-ground experiences of those actively engaged in child safety. The findings underscore the innovative practices employed by Tangentyere Safe House in navigating out-of-home care within an Indigenous context to argue for a holistic and culturally informed approach to child protection interventions, drawing attention to the practical strategies employed by safe house workers. The article showcases the central role of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations in providing care alongside families in out-of-home care. IMPLICATIONS The innovative approach of the Tangentyere Safe House highlights the importance and unique role of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations in out-of-home care. The role of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations should be formally recognised in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle hierarchy. Frontline safe house workers' knowledge and expertise regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care can inform all stakeholder involvement including police interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For children entering out-of-home care due to child protection concerns, meaningful connections to family and culture are important and necessary. In this article the complexities of promoting cultural connections for culturally and linguistically diverse children in out-of-home care are explored. Through the use of the settlement, ethnicity, language and faith (S.E.L.F) cultural framework, practitioners and leaders working in the child and family sector can consider the cultural elements of the children in their care. The framework provides questions to explore what culture may mean for families and encourages practitioners to self-reflect on their own cultural assumptions. The framework development has been informed through community of practice reflections and learnings by the authors who have held multiple practice, leadership, and research roles in the child and family sector. IMPLICATIONS The S.E.L.F. framework encompasses curiosity questions that guide the collection of information from children and families to aid in better understanding and enhancing cultural connection practices and to build organisational cultural competency. The framework promotes practitioner critical thinking and reflection on their own cultural bias and assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and young people who live in out-of-home care (OoHC) can display aggressive behaviours when their emerging self-regulation and executive functioning systems are overwhelmed. Consequently, their carers can experience incidents that may cause some carers' ongoing stress symptoms. Early intervention with occupational health supports is important; however, including a specific trauma treatment such as Eye-Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is unusual. EMDR supports the resolution of stress symptoms and helps carers promote a stable home environment. Stability contributes to calm home environments and incident reduction. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to better understand the inclusion of EMDR into a workforce wellbeing model and explore changes in incident numbers in houses, staff retention, and time-loss injury. Interviews with senior managers and focus groups with therapeutic practitioners from two Australian states were conducted. Descriptive statistics for administrative data were calculated after a quantitative audit. Several programs including EMDR and occupational health policies were working towards enhanced workplace safety. A reduction in the monthly average incident rate from 11.9 (2019–2020) to 6.9 (2022–2023) was identified. Offering an effective treatment to staff that promotes wellbeing, retention, and stability in care homes may be a critically important policy recommendation for organisations with staff at risk of traumatic incidents. IMPLICATIONS Eye -Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective trauma therapy that works for residential out-of-home care staff. EMDR enhances carers' emotional wellbeing and capacity when working with the young people in their care. More stable relationships between carers, children, and young people can lead to reductions in stressful workplace incidents and a more stable workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the Australian context, we argue there is limited research to guide practice on supporting cultural connections for non-Indigenous children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in out-of-home care. Based on practice wisdom and international research evidence, a compiled case study demonstrates how a set of practices can work together. These key practices are respectfully engaging the children's family members in cultural care planning; coaching and supporting carers to promote cultural connection; integrating culture into life story work; and identifying cultural mentors. IMPLICATIONS Practices that can support the identity development for children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds include cultural care planning, life story work, and cultural mentors, and these practices may work best when developed in concert with each other. Practice to support cultural connections for children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia requires further research evidence and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of acknowledging the grief and loss integral to the experiences of foster carers, has long been understood. However, in a complex area of practice and an increasingly pressured out-of-home care sector, there is a need to refocus foster care program and practitioner attention on supporting carers and their families with the difficult experience of placements ending. This article reports on findings from research that aimed to understand current carer experiences of grief and loss, their coping strategies, their support needs, and the implications for a foster care agency's duty of care towards its workforce. Through a mixed-methods exploratory methodology, data were collected through an online survey and semistructured interviews with carers affiliated with a foster carer provider operating across three Australian jurisdictions. Carers called for acknowledgement of the deep feelings they develop for the children they look after and help for the grieving process, through training, preparation, and tailored support based on authentic relationships with professionals. The need for well-trained and strongly supported agency workers was emphasised. IMPLICATIONS Providing updates to carers about foster children who have left their care can alleviate the pain of grief and loss. Training, preparation, and step-by-step support for carers can promote healthy grieving processes. Tailored support for grieving carers needs to be founded on authentic relationships with foster care professionals and open and honest communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and young people in Australian foster or kinship care are separated from their siblings for a range of reasons. These may include issues that are behavioural, sibling-related, the capacity of carers to host multiple children, or policies that enforce a one-child-per-bedroom rule. This study investigated strategies enhancing stability and meaningful connections among siblings within the Mockingbird Family, a social network model of foster and kinship caring. Case examples, network mapping, and visualisation of the Mockingbird Family networks are presented alongside results from thematic analysis of qualitative data. The findings suggest that the Mockingbird Family facilitates meaningful contact and sibling connections, even when coplacement was not possible. Sibling coplacement and contact provide crucial benefits such as emotional support, stability, shared experiences, and a sense of belonging, contributing to children's and young people's development, healing from trauma, and overall wellbeing. IMPLICATIONS Keeping sibling groups connected and in contact can reduce placement breakdown and contribute to their overall wellbeing. The Mockingbird Family model of foster care provides a range of options for keeping siblings meaningfully connected through coplacement within the same constellation and opportunities for other siblings to join in Mockingbird Family activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (respectfully referred to hereafter as "Aboriginal") children in the child protection system is a concern in Australia, with Aboriginal children placed in out-of-home care at a rate 11 times that of non-Aboriginal children. This study utilised linked administrative data to determine the longitudinal child protection pathways from birth to age 10 years for a cohort of 15,815 Aboriginal children born in Western Australia between 2000 and 2006. In total, 9,269 (59%) children did not have any contact with child protection between one year prior to birth and their 11th birthday. Conversely, 6,546 (41%) Aboriginal children were involved with child protection during the study period, with 1,405 (9%) children placed in out-of-home care. Infants who had a child protection notification were more likely than other age groups to have a substantiated notification of abuse and neglect and placed in out-of-home care. More than half (56%) of all children were predominantly placed in kinship care; however, only 22% had their first placement with kinship carers. Aboriginal-led strategies together with the support and commitment of all levels of government are required to reduce entry into care and improve outcomes for Aboriginal children in care. IMPLICATIONS Aboriginal-led strategies and wholistic responses can reduce the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children reported to child protection systems, and support families and communities. Infancy stands out as a key point of system involvement. This stage offers an opportunity where early intervention and family support strategies may prevent first time involvement with the child protection services and promote kinship placement, reunification with parents, and community-led supportive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship is core to Aboriginal culture, values and wellbeing. However, the strength of culture and relationships is often not fully recognised or respected by Westernised systems. This article highlights cultural strengths through use of a detailed case study narrative illustrating the importance of community self-determination when an Aboriginal child needs to be relocated to other carers/family members. Situated within an Aboriginal participatory action research methodology, we utilised a case study method where a participant and co-author (*Amelia) collaborated with two academics to tell her story as an illustration of the strengths of community and kinship that can support vulnerable children. Through this partnership we learn the importance of Aboriginal community involvement in Amelia’s progression from early childhood experience of family violence to thriving young adulthood. We confirm the importance of including Aboriginal knowledges and practices in raising at-risk Aboriginal children and we contribute to social work practice knowledges by learning from Indigenous experience. We conclude that social work needs to build on the strengths of Aboriginal communities’ abilities by valuing kinship support systems.IMPLICATIONS When faced with adversity such as family violence, Aboriginal culture can be a protective factor.Social workers need to understand the importance of culture in the healing process for Aboriginal children.Keeping Aboriginal children connected to culture is paramount for long-term recovery and the ability to create healthy relationships.When faced with adversity such as family violence, Aboriginal culture can be a protective factor.Social workers need to understand the importance of culture in the healing process for Aboriginal children.Keeping Aboriginal children connected to culture is paramount for long-term recovery and the ability to create healthy relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large numbers of children in Australia are in long-term out-of-home care (OOHC). Legal frameworks available for their care are long-term foster care, guardianship, and plenary adoption. Views of individuals with OOHC or adoption experience on these legal frameworks were explored via an online survey. A legal framework called simple adoption, which makes children legal members of adoptive families without legally excising them from birth families, was also considered. The respondents (N = 1019) evaluated aspects of these frameworks as strengths or weaknesses from which scores were calculated. Overall, simple adoption had the highest strength score, followed by plenary adoption, guardianship, and long-term foster care. The highest weakness score was for long-term foster care, followed by guardianship, plenary adoption, and simple adoption. That simple adoption enabled enduring familial relationships between children and their adoptive families while retaining legal identity and legal connection with birth families contributed to its favourable evaluation. IMPLICATIONS The legal severance of children from birth families and the supplanting of legal identity that occurs in plenary adoption makes this form of adoption unacceptable to many. Simple adoption, allowing for children to be full legal members of both their adoptive and birth families and preserving legal identity, makes it attractive to individuals with a variety of experience backgrounds. An exploration of legislative reform to allow for simple adoption in Australia should be undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic and family violence experienced by women and children is a significant social issue. Children and young people’s exposure to domestic and family violence is a recognised form of child abuse and neglect nationally and internationally reflected in child protection legislations and practice guidelines. There is an increasing imperative to ensure effective responses are provided to children and young people, however there are significant service gaps that warrant urgent attention. In this article it is argued that the way forward to responding to the increasing numbers of children and young people who experience domestic and family violence is to build capacity in the existing structure and expertise in women’s shelters. IMPLICATIONS Building capacity in existing structures and expertise within women’s shelters can help workers respond to the needs of children and young people. Implementing a child-centred and child-informed practice approach within shelters and employing specialists can ensure that children and young people will be safely and effectively supported. Building capacity in existing structures and expertise within women’s shelters can help workers respond to the needs of children and young people.Implementing a child-centred and child-informed practice approach within shelters and employing specialists can ensure that children and young people will be safely and effectively supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are integrated into child protection and out-of-home care (OOHC) systems via the connection element of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP). This article focuses on cultural connection in Australian child protection and OOHC systems over time, from its inception to its contemporary use to improve health and wellbeing and ameliorate cultural disconnection. An expanded understanding of cultural connection in Australian OOHC systems is articulated where cultural connection is theorised as a process of culturally connecting, while a critical position concerning the risk of cultural disconnection in OOHC is held. Indigenous cultures are fundamental to individual and community health and wellbeing. However, cultural connection in Australian OOHC systems risks becoming a site of bureaucratic policy compliance to ameliorate the effects of cultural disconnection produced by disproportionate First Nations child removals. This article illuminates this critical position while theorising how culturally connecting can be better understood in OOHC. IMPLICATIONS Cultural connection for First Nations children and young people is important for health and wellbeing, but is poorly understood in child protection and out-of-home care contexts. Cultural connection includes a community element, where culture acts as a point of distinctiveness to show that Indigenous peoples are surviving. At this juncture, cultural connection is a tool to resist the assimilatory impacts associated with ongoing child protection removals. Cultural connection can be understood as a complex journey of connecting for First Nations children and young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines child protection policy and practice in Queensland in the 1960s and 1970s, which was a period of major social change affecting relations between children, families, and the state. Using government annual reports from the period, the article traces developments in policy and service delivery. It discusses changes in two interlinked areas: the use of preventative family support approaches and the expansion of the professional knowledge base. Understanding the history of a policy field can facilitate critical reflection on current debates. The child protection field continues to revisit long-standing tensions about the best ways to safeguard children from abuse and neglect in their families, albeit in different ways. IMPLICATIONS It is important to recognise and value the social work profession's strong contribution to building the child protection knowledge base. Many current debates in child protection are not new: since the child protection field developed in the 1960s, it has continually revisited tensions about how best to intervene to address the individual and social causes of child abuse and neglect. Documenting the history of a social policy field can facilitate critical reflection on current developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislative provisions for accepting unborn child reports into the child protection system in Australia have coincided with a noticeable rise in the number of infants entering care. This article collates information on the child protection process during pregnancy based on a desk review of relevant public primary sources. The effectiveness of child protection during pregnancy in reducing statutory intervention at or following birth and avoiding unintended consequences is also explored through an examination of relevant child protection data, reviews, and research. The summary revealed some differences in the process of making, accepting, and responding to an unborn child report across Australia. The knowns about child protection during pregnancy include a high rate of unborn child reporting, a high proportion of children involved in unborn child reports who are subsequently admitted to care, and a disproportionate representation of Indigenous children in these statistics. The knowledge gaps include the circumstances of parents involved in unborn child reports who are approached by child protection and when; parents who refuse to engage; parents who are provided advice and support; and the outcome of these cases. Some aspects of child protection practice during pregnancy, including information sharing, risk assessment and case planning, and parental engagement and partnership throughout the process represent further knowledge gaps. IMPLICATIONS Attention to the high rate of unborn child reporting to child protection in Australia and to the differences in procedures for responding across the states and territories is needed. The high proportion of children involved in unborn child reports who are subsequently admitted to care, and the disproportionate number of Indigenous children who are represented in unborn child reports, substantiations, and care entries during infancy need to be addressed. There is a need for further research on child protection practices during pregnancy and case outcomes to maximise safe pregnancy journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited evaluation research has been conducted on the effectiveness of mental health services and intervention provided to Indigenous children and young people (C&YP) in care. The primary objective of the study was to examine the difference in functioning and mental health outcomes of C&YP in care at a specialist mental health service for Indigenous and non-Indigenous C&YP. Of the total 259 C&YP included in this study, 38.2% (N = 99) were Indigenous. Two measures were used to examine C&YP's mental health and functioning. Indigenous consumers showed a significantly greater improvement in antisocial behaviour, emotional symptoms, and peer relationships compared to non-Indigenous consumers at discharge from the program. The findings of this study provide support for the program's therapeutic intent to be a culturally supportive tertiary level mental health service for vulnerable C&YP in care. IMPLICATIONS Equivalent outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous consumers provide support for the program's intent to be a culturally supportive and safe tertiary level mental health service for vulnerable children and young people in care. Further research is needed to determine the key components of cultural consultation that are advantageous for consumers, care providers, and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact between children in care and family members is complex and often emotionally difficult for all concerned. In the context of a wider Australian cross-jurisdictional intervention trial, focusing on contact between children in long-term care and their parents, a snapshot survey of 901 children in Victorian foster care and kinship care placements was undertaken. The aim was to determine which children had seen parents, siblings or extended family members within a 12-month period, and how practitioners explained lack of contact between children and their parents. The study found that most children had had contact with parents or other family members, though children in long-term care were less likely to have seen their parents than those where reunification was still a possibility. Practitioners' views on why parental contact had not occurred for 18% of the sample illustrate the complexity of the issues involved in contact. IMPLICATIONS To support children's best interests, professionals should be clear about the purpose of family contact and provide support appropriate to that purpose. With children in long-term care less likely to see their parents, professionals have a role in helping these parents adjust to a new role. Developing strategies to maintain meaningful connections between children in long-term care and their parents may be more effective for children's best interests than the current emphasis on actual visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people in residential out-of-home care often exhibit health and psychosocial challenges, which can emerge from childhood trauma. A body of research has examined the wellbeing of these young people; however, the ways in which interventions and practice models can improve the health and psychosocial wellbeing of young people in out-of-home care remains unclear. A systematic review was conducted to examine the effectiveness of interventions and practice models for improving health and psychosocial outcomes of young people in residential care and to identify relevant knowledge gaps. After a worldwide search, only four studies, from Australia (n = 2), USA (n = 1), and Canada (n = 1) were found. These studies evaluated Cognitive Behaviour Treatment, Healthy Eating Active Living, Power Through Choices and the Alternate Care Clinic. These studies aimed to improve numerous health and psychosocial outcomes including mental health, behaviour, obesity, pregnancy and sex. Despite limited evidence, the review suggests that contemporary interventions and practice models do have the potential to have positive impacts on the health and psychosocial outcomes of young people in residential care. Rigorous assessment of promising evidence-based interventions is urgently needed to advance best practice and improve outcomes. IMPLICATIONS Therapeutic and psychosocial approaches have significant impacts on the health and psychosocial wellbeing of young people in residential out-of-home care. Interventions and practice models within residential out-of-home care should incorporate trauma-informed care and psychoeducation. Findings from this review may guide the design and implementation of interventions and practice models in out-of-home care as well highlighting knowledge gaps for future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2012 to 2014, we developed and subsequently evaluated the Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) intervention—an obesity prevention and healthy lifestyle program designed for young people living in residential out-of-home care (OoHC). Based on quantitative (i.e., a randomised trial) and qualitative (i.e., semi-structured interviews) data and an iterative process of redevelopment, the program has evolved from taking a behavioural obesity prevention approach to now being underpinned by a trauma-informed care approach at a systems level. In this paper we outline the theoretical and empirical foundations of the HEALing Matters intervention that is currently being implemented at scale. In addition, we outline how our knowledge translation framework informed the iterative improvement of our intervention with a focus on stakeholder and end-user engagement, partnership, and codesign along the way. IMPLICATIONS There is a strong need for trauma-responsive health-focused programs and interventions within OoHC contexts. HEALing Matters addresses the need for trauma-informed approaches that encourage health behaviour change in young people living in OoHC. Policy, standards, and recommendations must not only acknowledge, but prioritise, the impact of trauma on health-related lifestyle behaviours in order to identify strategies to help address this impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For children and young people living in residential care, recent Victorian and national inquiries have found that harmful sexual behaviour carried out by children and young people, and child sexual exploitation perpetrated by adults, are significant problems. Efforts to address harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual exploitation in Victoria include the establishment of sexually abusive behaviour treatment services and the Sexual Exploitation Protocol. Applying the public health model of prevention, these programs of work are tertiary prevention interventions that respond after the abuse has occurred. A gap exists in secondary prevention efforts for children and young people living in residential care that target this vulnerable group and intervene early when warning signs emerge. This paper describes a secondary prevention program, Respecting Sexual Safety, that may provide an early intervention response to harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual exploitation for children and young people living in residential care. The program has been designed, and is being trialled and evaluated, through an action research collaboration. IMPLICATIONS Multi-agency collaboration to intervene earlier to address harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual exploitation for children and young people living in residential care requires strengthening. Residential carers require upskilling and support to respond to children and young people going missing from the home to keep them at home. Residential carers require upskilling and support to identify problematic sexual behaviour and ensure appropriate intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problematic eating interventions targeting young people living in out-of-home care (OoHC) have been neglected. Therefore, the aim of this narrative literature review was threefold: (1) to identify the state of the literature regarding interventions that address subclinical and clinical problematic eating behaviours among young people in OoHC; (2) to evaluate problematic eating interventions that have been developed for young people in the general population; and (3) to assess the extent to which these general interventions can be translated and implemented for young people in OoHC. This study found no interventions specifically designed for young people in OoHC. While there is the potential for current problematic eating interventions to be translated for this cohort, major adaptions are required in which both trauma-informed and attachment-focused perspectives are seen as central factors to problematic eating interventions in OoHC. There are significant practical and theoretical limitations of administering current problematic eating interventions to young people living in OoHC. Interventions combining the theoretical underpinnings of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mentalisation-Based Therapy for Eating Disorders may begin to address the risk factors for problematic eating among young people in OoHC. A trauma-informed, attachment-focused problematic eating intervention is needed for young people in OoHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "Forgotten Australians" refers to adults who as children were placed in out-of-home care in Australia between 1920 and 1989. Following the Australian Government's apology to Forgotten Australians in 2009, the Federal and State Governments funded specific services to address the lifelong consequences of abuse and neglect inflicted upon Forgotten Australians. The impacts include difficulty forming and maintaining relationships, poor educational outcomes, unemployment, and poverty. The ability of service providers to engage Forgotten Australians and provide appropriate counselling has been given little research attention. This article reports on a survey of providers delivering counselling to Forgotten Australians regarding their knowledge and experiences in delivering services. Effective practice with Forgotten Australians requires knowledge of the history of Forgotten Australians, the uniqueness of the experiences of individual Forgotten Australians, and working within respectful relationships. The study highlights that preparing counsellors to work with Forgotten Australians requires specific training. IMPLICATIONS Service providers who work with Forgotten Australians (care leavers) require an understanding of the historical context in which Forgotten Australians experienced abuse and neglect while in institutions and out-of-home care. The compounding long-term impacts of institutionalisation affect Forgotten Australians in numerous ways, pointing to a need for targeted service delivery for this group. Key professional disciplines need to include knowledge and skills to work with Forgotten Australians (care leavers) in their curricula to promote best practice in conjunction with training across a range of services that promote service providers' understanding of the experiences of Forgotten Australians. Service delivery should be empowering, non-hierarchical, and encompass understandings of trauma and attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeking permanency for children is a central concern of Western child protection and out-of-home care systems, with approaches differing between and within countries. Historically, Australia has not prioritised adoption as a permanency pathway. In the state of Victoria there has been a preference for the use of Permanent Care Orders (PCOs), which have been positioned highly in the permanency hierarchy. Despite their significance, little research has been undertaken in relation to the implementation of PCOs. This article reports on a study that explored themes associated with the implementation of PCOs through an analysis of submissions to an inquiry into the early outcomes from Victoria's 2014 permanency amendments. Four key themes emerged: the power of government; the assumption of a perfect system; disproportionate impact on the most disadvantaged; and the impact of the permanency hierarchy. These themes are discussed with respect to their implications for practice and policy development. Systemic resource deficits and poor quality professional decision-making can significantly hinder timely and effective implementation of permanent placements for children in child protection and out-of-home care systems. Reducing timeframes for family reunification and promoting adoption of children in out-of-home care without first addressing resourcing and practice issues risks unintended consequences, as well as undermining the rights and best interests of vulnerable children and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New South Wales (NSW), legislation prioritises open adoption over long-term foster care when restoration is not possible, and suitable kin or guardians cannot be found. The adoption application includes an adoption plan that outlines the nature of a child's post-adoption contact with his or her birth family. There are efforts to include the views of the child, birth family, and prospective adoptive parents when developing this plan. This paper reports on the analysis of 89 adoption court files for 117 children from out-of-home care, finalised in 2017 by the Supreme Court of NSW. It focuses on the views of birth parents with respect to contact arrangements specified in the adoption plan. Three researchers independently coded the data, using an inductive approach based on grounded theory. The findings highlight the complexities in the changing relationship structures associated with adoption. Patterns of contact prior to adoption proceedings are highly predictive of plans for post-adoption contact. There are implications for social workers supporting positive contact experiences for children prior to an adoption order as well as the relationships between children's prospective adoptive families and birth families. Post-adoption contact decisions are informed by the views of birth family, children, and prospective adoptive parents, as well as the contact that has occurred pre-adoption. Birth parents expressed preferences for a specific amount and type of experience for contact, reflective of their relationships with the adoptive parents. Supports are needed to ensure that positive contact for children and relationships between children's birth family and adoptive family are established and maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous Australian children are overrepresented in the out-of-home care (OOHC) system, with numbers and rates on an upward trajectory. There is now serious concern that this overrepresentation is creating a second Stolen Generations in Australia, noted within policy campaigns such as Family Matters—Kids Safe in Culture, not in Care, and Grandmothers Against Removals. While placement in OOHC is designed to protect children’s long-term safety and wellbeing, it threatens cultural connection, which is fundamental to Indigenous identity and wellbeing. Some government policies that aim to foster cultural connection have not been effective, while others, such as the 2014 permanency legislation in Victoria, arguably threaten cultural connection. This article highlights the vital importance of cultural connection for Indigenous child development, arguing that for Indigenous children, family connection strengthens cultural connection. We argue that family needs to be recognised as a critical component of cultural connection that is equally as important as placement stability in OOHC. Consequently, statutory and community organisations responsible for Indigenous children in OOHC must focus on facilitating and strengthening family relationships, not only to foster cultural connection, but also to explore reunification possibilities. IMPLICATIONS Cultural connection is fundamental to Indigenous identity and wellbeing, but requires family connection if it is to be fostered and strengthened. When Indigenous children live in out-of-home care, social workers in child and family welfare need to ensure that children are connected to culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently limited understanding of biological children of foster carers and their experiences of foster care placements. This article presents findings from focus groups with biological children that shed light on their perspectives and experiences. Findings indicate biological children are competent social actors who contribute to, and seek to influence, the care environment in their homes. However, due to a lack of recognition, information, and support, biological children's agency is constrained and their challenges exacerbated. This article argues for increased recognition, information and support for biological children, advocating for a "whole-of-family" approach to foster care practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration is recognised as a key factor influencing the success of efforts to reunite children with their family following a protective intervention and a period in out-of-home care. Until now, little research has explored the possibilities of collaboration in this context, especially between parents and foster carers. This qualitative, interpretive study asked child protection caseworkers involved in restoration cases about their perceptions, perspectives, and experiences of collaboration between parents and carers. In-depth interviews were conducted with six caseworkers from five locations in New South Wales. The study found that caseworkers identified factors that influence the development of collaboration. These factors include trust, motivation and willingness, knowledge, and agreement. They also described strategies for promoting these factors in their casework. The research highlighted that a collaborative relationship between parents and carers can be facilitated through casework practice that considers certain factors and that strategically addresses the barriers to collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence suggests that abuse and neglect in childhood may play a role in subsequent development of obesity. One population group particularly at risk is children and young people living in out-of-home care (OOHC). Given this population is already a vulnerable group, identifying potential mechanisms by which childhood abuse and neglect increases risk for obesity is essential. A possible explanation is that problematic eating and food-related behaviours (i.e., emotional eating, compulsive eating, overeating, binge eating, stealing or hoarding food) might mediate the association between adverse childhood experiences and obesity. Hence, the overall goal of this paper was to provide a narrative review of eating and food-related difficulties for children in care and their possible association with unhealthy and excessive weight gain. This review revealed a shortage of existing empirical papers and signalled particular need for further examination of the mediating effects of problematic eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences and perceptions of four mothers who relinquished care of their child with a disability to residential care in the child protection system in Queensland. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with mothers who asked the statutory authority to assume care of their child. The mothers' narratives put into sharp focus the socio-political nature of caring for a person with a disability, and the need for more coordinated resources and expertise in supporting such families. According to the mothers' perspectives, relinquishment provided some reprieve from daily caring responsibilities but was complicated by associated feelings of grief, anxiety, and guilt; behavioural and emotional adjustment of the child with a disability; and difficulties working collaboratively with child protection workers. The findings highlight service deficiencies and the need to build a strong evidence base to improve practice in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of a high investment in out-of-home care services across Australia, the educational attainment of children in care remains an issue of concern. This paper discusses findings from a study designed to identify the factors that promoted educational attainment of children in care based on 18 university-educated women with a care background. The narratives of these women from primary schooling through to graduating from a university were collected and analysed using narrative inquiry. The women's narratives strongly suggested that the educational needs of children in care vary according to individual care circumstances and individual characteristics, and can be identified in five groups: Destined, Decision, Determined, Denied, and Delayed. It was concluded that the promotion of educational attainment for children in care requires carefully tailored support and resources following assessment based on this information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Who Am I? research was an interdisciplinary, action research project focused on the past and present record-keeping practices for people growing up in out-of-home care in Australia. This paper reports on two of the nested projects directed at current record-keeping practices. For the 100+ Points of Identity study, a tool was developed (the Document Accessibility Exercise or "Daesy") to determine the number of personal records critical to identity that could be accessed by practitioners prior to a young person leaving a placement. The Backpack of Identity project developed a further iteration of the action research cycle, as the first project identified the vulnerability of the record when placements for the young person changed. A number of implications for practice arose, including the need for greater attention to the development of personal records (as against an administrative record) and the need for practitioners to understand their responsibilities for the story "of the record" as well as the story "in the record". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many care leavers with disabilities face difficulties as they transition from out-of-home care (OoHC), and suffer multiple, ongoing forms of disadvantage after they leave care. This paper is drawn from a study comprising six focus groups, involving 21 participants employed in disability and OoHC services in Victoria, Australia. The findings suggest that care leavers with disabilities do not receive the transitional and postcare support and housing they need. Many are transitioned into housing options that are unsuitable for their needs, or unsafe. The argument of this paper is that care leavers with disabilities may benefit from adult guardianship legislation. When appropriate an application for a guardianship order should be made prior to the young person exiting care, to enable a smooth transition between the child and adult systems. Adult protection services with an advocacy function should be given the opportunity to advocate for care leavers with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the financial, housing, and emotional support provided to 16–19 year old care leavers, studying in further education in England. Drawing on 28 interviews with social workers and further education college professionals the article discusses the accessibility of existing provision in England, with a particular focus on the relationships and collaborative working practices between further education professionals and social work teams. The article argues that despite the individual commitment of further education professionals, the level of support they provide is, in the main, sketchy, reactive, and under-resourced. Given the significant austerity measures implemented by the Conservative–Liberal Coalition government, it is now all the more important for both education and social services to adopt a more collaborative interagency approach in order for them to address the complex problems experienced by care leavers studying in further education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Senate Inquiries into the lives of people who grew up in care, highly critical Ombudsman reports, and advocacy groups for recent and past “care leavers” draw attention to the significance of the records for children growing up in out-of-home care. This article reports on a project in which an interdisciplinary team of social workers, archivists, and historians worked together with 12 community-sector (nongovernment) organisations to look at the question of how to improve the management of the records for people with experience of out-of-home care. A Self Assessment Tool was developed and deployed at two points in time to provide feedback to organisations about the quality of their record-keeping practices. Clear improvements could be documented over a 2-year period in all 12 of the organisations involved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The transition from care is a critical phase for care leavers in general, and even more complex for those who have arrived in Sweden as unaccompanied minors and belong to an ethnic minority group. The aim of this article is to examine unaccompanied minors' experiences of leaving care, and to explore the experience in relation to perceptions about ethnicity and culture within a transnational space. Interviews were completed with 11 care leavers who had been received in Sweden as unaccompanied minors. The results show that these young people have to deal with multiple adjustments. Conquering obstacles as care leavers involves not only resolving general issues such as reintegration into society, but also adjustment to perceived and created views of how to become Swedish. From the young people's point of view, this seems to be necessary to make a successful transition from care into adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research on the impact of growing up in care focuses upon either the care experience itself or the period of transition from care to independence. Our knowledge of outcomes largely ceases when former residents of the care system reach their early twenties. There are strong social justice reasons for extending research into the older adult lives of such young people. We know a great deal about the multiple disadvantages that such individuals face as children. But research is largely silent about their subsequent adult lives. While we must be cautious in drawing causal links to the childhood care experience as the time period since life in care extends, we know that early experiences can affect care-leavers across their life course—just as childhood experience affects all adults in a variety of ways. In this review, we highlight evidence drawn from research in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and the United States, with particular attention paid to the first two of those countries. We use a wide range of sources and identify areas for further consideration, including access to personal records, mental health, education, and parenting. By doing so, we seek to open up this area for further research with the hope that such research will lead to an increasing recognition of care-leavers' needs and thus to improvements in social policy and service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores comparative material from two publications that provided mapping information on young people's transitions from care to adulthood. It draws on two samples: first, a European sample which included 9 noncommunist European countries; second, a sample of 14 postcommunist societies which included 9 European and 3 Central Asian countries. The paper outlines descriptive data on population; the placement of children living apart from their birth families; the age of leaving care; the legal and policy framework for preparation and aftercare; official (secondary) data and research; and policy and practice recommendations. The paper also discusses the application of Esping-Andersen's welfare regime typology in relation to leaving care policy. It is suggested that its application raises questions at two levels: first, in relation to leaving care policy within the sample of European countries; and second, in its relevance, at a more general level, to postcommunist societies. In conclusion, it is suggested the paper provides a starting point for further empirical and theoretical comparative work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant proportion of young people leaving out-of-home care make their transition to independence via the youth justice system, exposing them to further risks and reducing their likelihood of full social and economic engagement in mainstream society. This article presents the initial findings of a research project based on a partnership between Monash University and seven nongovernment child and youth welfare agencies in Victoria, Australia. Seventy-seven key stakeholders participated in interviews and focus groups with a view to identifying practices and policies that could reduce the over-representation of young people leaving out-of-home care in the youth justice system. Factors that contributed to offending included varied responses by the child protection and youth justice systems, limited utility of leaving care plans, and the availability of a range of preventative and diversionary programs. The findings point to a need for more formalised interagency collaboration, and intensification of the interventions and supports offered both in custodial settings and post discharge from custody or care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship care has been growing rapidly across the English-speaking world over the last decade. While family contact is an identified right of children removed from their families and maintains important relationships, contact with parents where there has been child abuse and neglect remains contentious. The evidence base in relation to family contact in kinship care is limited. Therefore, this article presents the current state of knowledge in the form of a narrative review of qualitative and quantitative research. Contradictory theoretical orientations are outlined together with the limits they impose on the development and application of knowledge. While the complexity of parental contact is confirmed, a consistent finding is that kinship care provides children with strong family networks including sustained relationships with parents, siblings, and extended family, and maintenance of children's culture and identity. Suggestions for the development of the research agenda are made, together with implications for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children placed in out-of-home care are a particularly disadvantaged group in society, who have often been exposed to trauma and socioeconomic disadvantage. As a result, they experience poorer health outcomes than children in the general population, especially mental health outcomes. One health outcome that has yet to be researched thoroughly is overweight and obesity of children placed in out-of-home care. Hence, the overall goal of this paper was to review the extant literature over the last decade on weight-related issues for children in out-of-home care, with particular emphasis on overweight and obesity. The findings of the review revealed that there is a lack of rigorous Australian research in relation to prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in children in out-of-home care; there is a lack of strategies or interventions designed specifically to combat overweight and obesity in children in out-of-home care; and one of the major limitations of Australian research to date is the use of self-report measures to assess the weight status of children in out-of-home care. It was concluded that prevention and intervention strategies are needed that target children as they enter out-of-home care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper we present a comparative analysis of out-of-home care in Australia and Sweden. We compare the age structure of the out-of-home care population and the types of out-of-home care services provided to children and young people in both countries. Our analysis reveals that in Australia the out-of-home care service system is focused mainly on children who are deemed to be abused or neglected within their families, while in Sweden the majority of the out-of-home care population are teenagers who cannot live with their families for emotional or behavioural reasons. These population differences intersect with variations in the forms of service provision in both countries, with a much greater reliance on home-based care in Australia than in Sweden, while there is more extensive use of residential care in Sweden. We envisage that this paper will demonstrate how the age structure of the out-of-home care population, though rarely considered in international comparative child welfare research, reveals much about the assumptions on which State intervention with children and young people is based. We intend that this analysis will assist social workers to better understand and address the gaps in the quality and comprehensiveness of out-of-home care service provision to children and young people in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

How young people in State care decide upon future careers, and the support offered for this process by carers and child protection caseworkers, has received little research attention. This qualitative study sought the views of young people in care, foster and kinship carers, and child protection caseworkers about career development for in-care youth. We found young people were thinking about career options but encountered a safety driven, acute casework approach, which sidelined education and work planning. Career development was not viewed as a caseworker responsibility, and, by default, was primarily developed by carers. The study highlights the need for a greater focus on the transition to adulthood and the inclusion of career development in policy and practice development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Children and young people are often the subjects of research but are not usually thought of as codesigners of research projects contributing to the development of tools and resources so that research about them and their peers is more likely to be appropriate and effective. This paper describes and analyses the involvement of a group of 14 children and young people who have been in out-of-home care. They assisted in the design of a research project that sought their views on what makes a “good” foster carer. The impetus for this study arose from a desire to include children and young people as stakeholders in improving the foster care system and a long-held belief that they could and should be active partners in creating change. The study demonstrated how children and young people could be engaged creatively in individual and group conversations and activities in relation to potential research questions and research methods and tools. The paper concluded that capturing their views will ensure that research will be of benefit to other children and young people and to policy makers and practitioners working in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving in education and employment has long-term effects on quality of life. With below-average levels of educational attainment, many young people in care are ill-equipped for the transition from school to further education and work. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study that explored the school to work transition experiences of young people currently or previously in care, and their ideas about future employment. A range of personal and contextual factors that influence study and work goals were identified. Young people spoke about the importance of personal confidence and determination, supportive relationships, someone to believe in them and encourage them, opportunities to pursue their goals, avenues to gain information about how to get desired jobs, positive school experiences, and the need for stability in their lives. The study suggests widening the agenda for case planning, transition from care and after-care support, to include career planning and vocational assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]