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Hundreds of thousands of Australians live with the dire aftermath of having been institutionalised as children in the national 'Care' network of orphanages and children's homes. In 2023 the Australian Orphanage Museum (AOM) was opened, both to memorialise the experiences of children whose early lives were blighted by out-of-home Care (OOHC), and to facilitate activism aimed at gaining justice for those now-adult Care-leavers. The article in part utilises the author's lived experience as a Care-leaver activist to summarise the rise of Care-leaver activism, placing it in a heritage context as it applies to the institutions themselves. It examines the role of the AOM in collecting and displaying apparently mundane objects that have profound meaning for individual stakeholders, and in preserving archival material documenting the early activist groups. Various forms of past and contemporary Care-leaver activism are discussed, and examples of successful and less successful campaigns are examined. The AOM is shown to perform a vital role in providing affirmation for Care-leavers, advocating on their behalf to the wider community, and working in conjunction with other activist groups and projects to aid researchers in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High child protection caseworker turnover diminishes care quality. While burnout is acknowledged, the impact of protective factors is unclear. This study examines caseworkers' burnout, individual resilience's protective role, and strategies for curbing turnover and preserving work-life balance. Results indicate that personal, work, and client-related subscales correlate highly. The moderating effect of resilience on burnout was significant yet marginal. Maintaining boundaries was the primary core theme reported in relation to strategies to maintain work-life balance. The results of this study highlight potentially modifiable factors likely to reduce caseworker turnover. Findings support the need for a collective re-evaluation of resilience as an individual responsibility to something that can be supported and fostered within the workplace for increasing employee retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aboriginal children and young people are over‐represented in the out‐of‐home care system, yet their voices are largely absent in practice and policy decision‐making. This paper presents a review of research that captures the voices of Aboriginal children and young people in out‐of‐home care. Three key themes are discussed: connection to culture, connection to family and participation. This paper argues for culturally meaningful research that honours child and youth citizenship, voice and roles in decision‐making as critical to quality care and positive outcomes. This paper aims to highlight the importance of listening and responding to the voices of Aboriginal children and young people as critical to the provision of appropriate care and supporting positive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts are common in adolescent friendships and romantic relationships. The ways girls in care navigate conflicts in close relationships have implications for their resilience, since their family relationships are compromised. We employed qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore the conflicts in the friend and romantic relationships of 37 girls in care. They completed an interview about the conflicts with their best friend and boyfriend and a measure on the positive and negative quality of the friendship and romantic relationship within which the conflicts took place. Thematic analysis indicated the girls experienced more intense and volatile conflicts with their boyfriend than best friend. However, the intensity of these conflicts was mitigated by their positive perceptions in their quantitative reports. Despite conflicts, the girls reported significantly higher levels of positive than negative relationship quality within their romantic relationships and similar levels of negative quality between the two relationships. Findings highlight the girls' struggles with their romantic relationship compared to their friendship and especially their attempts to interpret conflict within a more global assessment of relationship quality. The findings provide a nuanced understanding of the girls' relational patterns, which can be used to inform interventions to support their development of healthy relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

\nSUMMARYThis research was conducted as part of an action research project supporting intersectoral care experiments in Flanders for minors in residential care. This article details some of the questions the stakeholders in this project had at the start of such a project, as well as the results from a scoping literature review conducted to answer these questions. This scoping literature review was conducted on four databases, returning 23 articles providing information on the effects of, good practices of, or barriers for intersectoral care for looked-after minors. Results show that research on this specific topic for this population is scarce, mostly qualitative, and mostly from the perspective of staff rather than clients. Reports on the effects of intersectoral initiatives seem cautiously encouraging. Many possible obstacles for coordinated or shared care have been identified, with difficulties in communication, information sharing and lack of shared vision as prominent ones. Many potentially good practices have however also been identified in this review that can help collaborative partners overcome several of the barriers. Intersectoral collaboration in the care for minors in residential settings seems to have positive effects like better permanency and staff wellbeingGood practices include getting to know people working in other sectors and having formal proceduresJoint case planning, intersectoral training and consultation options can lead to familiarity with people in other sectorsLack of communication and disagreements about decision making are frequently mentioned as hindering intersectoral care in this populationIntersectoral collaboration in the care for minors in residential settings seems to have positive effects like better permanency and staff wellbeingGood practices include getting to know people working in other sectors and having formal proceduresJoint case planning, intersectoral training and consultation options can lead to familiarity with people in other sectorsLack of communication and disagreements about decision making are frequently mentioned as hindering intersectoral care in this population [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have indicated that youth in care may represent a high-risk group for bullying victimization. So far, research has focused primarily on problem behavior rather than on potential personal or social resources of youth in care, particularly in the context of bullying victimization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether youth in care are more likely to experience bullying victimization. Furthermore, it was analyzed if personal and social resources were protective of bullying victimization and whether these associations were moderated by family placement while controlling for lifetime poly-victimization. An online survey was completed by n = 119 youth in care and n = 110 youth in biological families in Germany - with or without a social/biological caregiver. Overall, the results showed that youth in care were 7.41 times more likely to experience bullying victimization than youth in biological families. Personal and social resources did add to the explained variance of current bullying victimization beyond lifetime poly-victimization in the child's report. In particular, low levels of child-reported parental support and school integration were associated with more bullying victimization. These associations were not moderated by family placement, indicating similar effects for both, youth in care and youth in biological families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

This study explored how day-to-day social work practice with children and families in Wales responds to poverty, building on case studies already published in the other three UK nations. A case study design was used. The sites were locality teams in two local authorities, differing in their children looked after rates and trajectories of these over time. Qualitative research methods included practice observations; interviews with staff; focus groups; mapping of decision-making processes; and a sample of family case narratives. In one local authority, the range of data was similar to the other UK nation case studies. However, in the second, data collection was adapted to the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) lockdown context. Some evidence was found of narratives that emphasised the cultural, rather than material, aspect of poverty, and blamed parents for making inappropriate spending choices. Poverty alleviation was generally seen as outside of social workers' control and requiring earlier help before social services involvement. In one of the local authorities, there was some awareness shown of the impact of poverty on parenting. In the other, that took part in the study during 2020, the exacerbating effects of families in lockdown were described, including the lack of family support due to pandemic restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have shown an association between parental problematic substance use (PSU) and children's out-of-home care (OHC). But there is little researech on the kind of urban neighbourhoods in which such associations typically show up. This study aims to shed light on the associations between neighbourhood characteristics, parental PSU and children's OHC. Using register data, we explore the spatial concentration of parental PSU and children's OHC in urban areas. Methods: Register data of all children born in Finland in 2002 and their biological parents living in 14 Finnish cities were used to follow the children from birth until their 18th birthday or first OHC episode. The study looks at parental PSU andother individual-level indicators as well-as the sociodemographic neighbourhood characteristics. Cox proportional hazards modelling was used as the analysis method. Results: Parental PSU increased the probability of children's OHC regardless of neighbourhood type. The probabilty was highest if both parents had PSU (hazard ratio [HR] = 8.05, 95% confidence interval [Cl] 6.38–10.16), but this outcome did not look the same for all neighbourhoods. The risk of children's OHC placements was higher in suburbs compared to city centres (HR = 1.76, 95% Cl 1.38–2.25). Conclusion: As parental substance use is a complex problem that is often intertwined with other life challenges, such as financial difficulties and mental health problems, it is insufficient to treat caregiver conditions, such as problematic substance use in isolation. Services that increase positive, pro-social connections may be lacking in the neighbourhoods with the most challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Out‐of‐home care is associated with a range of negative social outcomes for the young people who experience it. The most promising path to improved life chances for care‐experienced young people is arguably through education, especially post‐secondary education. Currently, no national data are collected on the post‐secondary education participation of care‐experienced young people. However, the evidence that exists suggests their participation rate is likely very low. Historically, one reason for post‐secondary participation gaps has been the fact that care ended abruptly at 18 years, forcing care‐experienced young people into independence much faster and earlier than the vast majority of their same‐age peers. The recent extension to care to 21 years for most young people in care across all Australian jurisdictions has changed the out‐of‐home care landscape considerably. A central question is whether the extension of care will, in itself, result in increased post‐secondary education access and success for care‐experienced young people. We address this question through an examination of the current out‐of‐home care and education landscape, including state and territory legislation, Australian Government policy and current post‐secondary settings and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth in out‐of‐home care are at high risk for suicide‐related thoughts and behaviors (STB), yet there are no known efficacious interventions that reduce STB for this population. Fostering Healthy Futures for Preteens (FHF‐P) is a 9‐month community‐based mentoring and skills training preventive intervention for children in out‐of‐home care. A randomized controlled trial enrolled 156 participants aged 9–11 years who were placed in out‐of‐home care over the prior year. Participants were 48.9% female, 54.1% Hispanic, 30.1% Black, and 27.1% American Indian. Follow‐up interviews, conducted 7–12 years postintervention (85.2% retention rate), asked young adult participants, aged 18–22, to self‐report lifetime STB as indexed by non‐suicidal self‐injury, suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or attempts. There was a nonsignificant reduction in the odds of STB for the intervention group at follow‐up (OR = 0.74; CI, 0.32, 1.69). However, FHF‐P significantly moderated the effect of baseline STB; control youth who reported baseline STB had 10 times the odds of young adult STB (OR = 10.44, CI, 2.28, 47.78), but there was no increase in the odds of adult‐reported STB for intervention youth. Findings suggest that FHF‐P buffers the impact of pre‐existing STB on young adult STB for care‐experienced youth. Further research is needed to identify mechanisms that may reduce STB in this population. Highlights: Fostering Healthy Futures for Preteens (FHF‐P) is an intervention for children in out‐of‐home care.This randomized trial examined whether FHF‐P reduced suicide‐related thoughts and behaviors (STB).FHF‐P demonstrated a nonsignificant 26% reduction in the odds of STB 7–12 years postintervention.An interaction effect suggested that FHF‐P buffered the impact of preteen STB on young adult STB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infants have the highest rate of admission into out‐of‐home care in Australia, with rising rates of entry to care occurring around the world. Our previous research identified children who entered care as infants as having high levels of developmental vulnerability. The objective of this study was to determine the child protection and developmental trajectories of children who entered care as infants and whether meeting developmental needs through service provision improves trajectories and outcomes for these children. This is a prospective cohort study using three waves (2011–2016) of survey data from the New South Wales Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study which includes standardised assessments (Age and Stages Questionnaire, Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment and the Child Behaviour Checklist), as well as linked administrative child protection and health data. Our findings suggest that children who entered care as infants predominantly remained in the care system and had a high level of developmental vulnerability as infants. A large group had positive physical and cognitive developmental trajectories with service provision increasing over time; however, early service provision is needed. Another group was identified as having early social–emotional concerns and displaying worsening social–emotional trajectories. Intervention for this group is an important priority to reduce risk of ongoing poor mental health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was designed to understand the roles and challenges of child protection services (CPS) employees in arranging out-of-home care for children with minority and immigrant backgrounds in Rogaland, Norway. Findings from the six in-depth interviews with CPS employees showed that, guided by existing laws and policies, they follow three phases from investigation to the care order decision. The premium they place on “best-interests-of-children” can be contested in relation to the rights of the family. CPS employees day-to-day challenges include understanding minority families cultural backgrounds, finding foster families, and communication. Based on the findings, policy and practice recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critique that child welfare services (CWS) are primarily focused on neglect cases resulting from poverty is longstanding and reemerging from discussions about how to address America's racial history and structural oppression which begets poverty. Understanding how poverty and CWS involvement operate requires testing relationships between poverty and other factors influencing placement. Drawing on NSCAW II, we identify families (n = 445) investigated for neglect, with children younger than 15, and remaining home upon investigation at the study's baseline. This study uniquely allows for distinguishing the contribution of poverty and family adversities on foster care placements among neglecting families. Families were followed for 36 months, to observe placements into out-of-home care. Poverty levels were not strongly related to subsequent placement. Children in families with high levels of adversity – especially arrests and domestic violence – were most likely to be placed into foster care. Employment at initial contact was associated with less later foster care placement even when income levels were generally low. The findings add to the evidence that placement into foster care may most significantly result from an accumulation of adversities. Intervention that might help reduce foster care placements for neglected children who begin receiving services at home are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify latent classes of child welfare placement histories, with a focus on entry to residential treatment settings (RTS), and how youth behavior and development are associated with the probability of latent class membership. This study utilized secondary child welfare administrative data. The study found that a four-class model was the best fit for the data. The four latent classes were defined by instability while in family settings, stability in kinship care, movement through congregate care settings, and stability in non-kinship foster care. Youth behavior and developmental period were significantly associated with latent class membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just as archival scholarship has increasingly engaged in conversations around care and holistic considerations of the agency of records subjects, the child welfare systems of the modern Western world have been moving towards conversations that aim to centre and celebrate the voice of the child in new and important ways. However, too often are these conversations held back by the enormity of the issue and the overhaul that would have to take place for philosophy to match with practice. In this paper, I suggest that part of the problem is that we have been trying to make these changes philosophy first, placing a new way of thinking on top of an old way of doing—an approach that will never generate change. Leaning in to using speculation to imagine what the new recordkeeping of a caring system might look like, I propose that the act of recordkeeping is the fulcrum that could make caring child welfare a reality and illustrate some of the avenues through which we might pursue instigating the systemic changes needed if we are to see the agency and perspectives of children prioritised in child welfare and protection practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Children in care and care leavers have worse health outcomes than their peers without care experience. This study addresses an evidence gap in exploring care-experienced young people’s views and experiences of accessing general practice and dental services and attending health reviews in England. Methods We conducted a qualitative study using podcasting as a creative medium. We recruited young people from two sites: one in South England (A) and one in greater London (B). We held two paired discussions in site A and two focus groups in site B, with 14 participants in total. Participants were aged between 13 and 22 years and were diverse in gender, ethnicity, and care experiences. Data were analysed thematically using candidacy theory as a theoretical framework. Results Mental health was a prevailing concern for participants, but general practice was not considered a place to discuss it. Most participants reported distant relationships with primary healthcare professionals and considered opening-up to a professional to be risky, for example, it could result in an unknown/unwanted outcome. A lack of time and personal connection in appointments, and experiences of feeling judged, dismissed, or misunderstood, hindered young people’s ability to disclose mental health or relationship concerns. Participants reported variation in the timeliness and location of services, with salient examples of extensive waiting periods for braces. Participants perceived annual health reviews to be largely inconsequential. Conclusions Any primary care presentation by a care-experienced young person should trigger additional professional curiosity. To build rapport and trust, professionals should not underestimate the power of active listening, being reliable and honest, and small acts of thoughtfulness, for example, ensuring medical letters are provided promptly. Carers and other trusted professionals should help care-experienced young people to understand the role of primary care and support them with access. Health reviews may not be of value to all young people in care. Further research is needed to examine primary healthcare access for care-experienced young people with significant safeguarding and healthcare needs.

Abstract Research has demonstrated children in out-of-home care have experienced trauma and a significant proportion are in need of behavioral health services (e.g. Casaneuva et al., NSCAW II baseline report: Child well-being, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 2011). Accessing services requires interagency coordination between child welfare and behavioral health professionals; however, challenges to coordination and collaboration may result in lack of service utilization for many youth (Hanson et al. 2016). Utilizing a mixed methodological approach, this paper describes the results of a study conducted five years after full state-wide implementation of processes designed to promote the use of evidence-based practices to inform decision-making for youth dually served by the child welfare and behavioral health systems. Outcomes from the study were used to develop strategies to address programmatic concerns and reinforce implementation supports. Study findings may aid organizations seeking to reinforce data-informed practices and employ strategies for addressing barriers at the worker and agency level.

Background: Children in care and care leavers have worse health outcomes than their peers without care experience. This study addresses an evidence gap in exploring care-experienced young people's views and experiences of accessing general practice and dental services and attending health reviews in England. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using podcasting as a creative medium. We recruited young people from two sites: one in South England (A) and one in greater London (B). We held two paired discussions in site A and two focus groups in site B, with 14 participants in total. Participants were aged between 13 and 22 years and were diverse in gender, ethnicity, and care experiences. Data were analysed thematically using candidacy theory as a theoretical framework. Results: Mental health was a prevailing concern for participants, but general practice was not considered a place to discuss it. Most participants reported distant relationships with primary healthcare professionals and considered opening-up to a professional to be risky, for example, it could result in an unknown/unwanted outcome. A lack of time and personal connection in appointments, and experiences of feeling judged, dismissed, or misunderstood, hindered young people's ability to disclose mental health or relationship concerns. Participants reported variation in the timeliness and location of services, with salient examples of extensive waiting periods for braces. Participants perceived annual health reviews to be largely inconsequential. Conclusions: Any primary care presentation by a care-experienced young person should trigger additional professional curiosity. To build rapport and trust, professionals should not underestimate the power of active listening, being reliable and honest, and small acts of thoughtfulness, for example, ensuring medical letters are provided promptly. Carers and other trusted professionals should help care-experienced young people to understand the role of primary care and support them with access. Health reviews may not be of value to all young people in care. Further research is needed to examine primary healthcare access for care-experienced young people with significant safeguarding and healthcare needs. [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]

In Australia, on any given day, about 45,000 children and youth aged 0–17 (about 1 per cent of Australian youth) are in the care of the state, often cared for through delegation‐funded child welfare organisations. Many of these children are in out‐of‐home care of such organisations for brief periods of time, but a substantial number remain in care until their mandatory emancipation. About 3600 youth a year are obliged to leave care at 18 years of age, due to child protection orders ending before their 18th birthday. Many advocates in the field, including former youth in out‐of‐home care represented in the CREATE Foundation, believe that this is much too young to be out on their own. Founded in 2016, Home Stretch is a national advocacy campaign to extend the leaving care age for young people in out‐of‐home care from 18 to 21 years in all Australian jurisdictions. Prior to the Home Stretch movement, no Australian state, territory or federal government (with the partial exception of the ACT) had indicated any action, interest or desire to extending its services to children in state care past 18 years. Yet, extended care in varying forms has been found recommended in various government enquiries over the past several decades. Seven years after the Home Stretch launch, extended care is now offered in all eight Australian jurisdictions, and at last count, over 4200 young people are in extended care arrangements to 21 years across the country. This is a remarkable social policy about face by the Government in a relatively short space of time. In this article, we describe the advocacy strategy employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The criminalization of young women in care remains an important practice and policy issue in England despite 2018 national guidance and the subsequent development of local authority protocols to reduce the criminalization of care‐experienced young people. This paper contributes to the emerging research on young women whose behaviour challenges professionals, through secondary analysis of case file data and narrative interviews with 24 care‐experienced young women from a national project on care and offending. Analysis focused on young women's pathways through the care, justice and education systems and identified five domains within young women's lives where available risk or resilience factors were significant in directing young women towards prosocial opportunities, to new types of victimization or to criminalization and offending. These domains consisted of placements and caregiver relationships; partner relationships; pregnancy and motherhood; participation in education; and the transition to adulthood through leaving care. The paper concludes with implications for practice for professionals working with young women, in particular emphasizing that how the care, justice and education systems respond to young women can contribute to negative pathways or transform them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article brings together the experiences of parents whose children are placed in out‐of‐home care (OHC) with the theoretical concept of moral injury. The findings are based on empirical data from a research and development project conducted in seven Swedish municipalities with the aim of developing support for such parents. This article draws on a data set of qualitative interviews with 40 parents, 30 mothers and 10 fathers, with children in OHC. The interview transcripts were analysed thematically, with an abductive approach to theories and the empirical data. The findings illustrate how parents of children in OHC experience moral injury in relation to seven aspects: professionals' morally problematic and distressing behaviour, problematic services, an adversarial system, systemic bias, parent's actions, children's withdrawal and feeling excluded. The injuries are related to events in several periods—prior to the child's removal, during the execution of removal and during OHC—and tend to last for many years. These findings stress that the social services must be aware of the injuries parents experience and must minimize the possible harm and moral injury. We also suggest that parents of children in OHC should have an appointed social worker as a means of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Trauma negatively impacts on the ability of children in out‐of‐home care to experience safety in their relationships. Trauma rearousal can continue to occur even when children are living in a safe and stable setting due to environmental triggers. Carers who are emotionally regulated themselves can model and support emotional regulation (known as coregulation) when their child becomes dysregulated. To do this, carers need agencies to provide trauma‐informed and therapeutic models of care, so they in turn can offer an emotionally secure experience for their child. This article reports on participatory action research with caseworkers from two nongovernment and one government organisation who supported foster and kinship carers to coregulate with children in long‐term care. Reflective practice meetings were held over an eight‐month period to capture the perspectives and experiences of 16 caseworkers who trialled practice changes for coregulation. An inductive analysis approach was used to elicit themes. Findings revealed a three‐phase process took place for caseworkers and carers to (1) acknowledge the presence of trauma and stress, (2) become aware of their own emotional capacity and (3) apply coregulation strategies. This process was possible when organisations promoted trauma awareness and relational safety, thereby creating a ‘holding environment’ for their caseworkers and allowing coregulation to be experienced by carers and their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous international research indicates that social workers may lack the competence to comfortably involve children in child protection processes. Implementation of stricter competence requirements for child welfare staff has been discussed to address shortcomings in child welfare practice. In Norway, this implementation is scheduled for 2031, and subject to ongoing discussion. Through multivariate robust linear regression analysis of data collected in five Norwegian urban settlements (n = 135), this study explored the association between social workers educational level and attitudes toward child participation in cases concerning contact between children in out-of-home care and their birth parents. The results indicate a significant difference in attitudes toward children’s involvement in cases concerning contact with birth parents when comparing social workers with master’s degrees to those with bachelor’s degrees, whereas social workers with master’s degrees exhibit more positive attitudes. Social workers are generally found to have positive attitudes toward participation; however, the findings indicate concerns regarding participation in cases related to contact, particularly due to potential loyalty conflicts that might cause stress to the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norwegian youth in out‐of‐home care move three times as frequently as their peers. Such placement instability is linked to negative outcomes in terms of social attachment, well‐being, educational achievements, health, and future opportunities. Norway implemented a new child welfare service reform in 2022 that increased the municipalities responsibilities for out‐of‐home care. The "incentive package" and "Barneløftet" were measures implemented to prepare the municipalities for these changes. This study evaluates how the implemented measures affect the number of moves within out‐of‐home care in Trøndelag county. An event‐study design with difference‐in‐difference estimates was used to study the effect of the measures. The data are Norwegian registers that include most children in out‐of‐home care from 2013 to 2021. The findings of this study indicate that increased support for foster care homes significantly reduces the number of moves. Increased placement stability is associated with an increased sense of belonging, thus facilitating positive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family group conferences (FGCs) in child welfare share decision-making with family members by bringing the immediate and wider family together to make a plan to meet a child's needs. This paper reports survey findings on FGC provision in the UK in 2022 and explores whether in England the presence of an FGC service and the rate of FGC provision is associated with the rate of children in care, entering care, in kinship foster care and leaving care. Seventy-nine per cent (n  = 167) of local authorities in the UK provided FGCs to families, and 14 per cent (n  = 29) did not. Services that were more established offered a more diverse range of FGCs. The introduction of FGCs in English local authorities was associated with a higher rate of children in care, but also higher rates of kinship foster care, a key goal of FGCs where it is not possible for children to stay with their parents. Higher rates of FGCs were associated with more children leaving care, possibly due to reunification with birth families. To understand in more detail, the circumstances of children in and leaving care in local authorities with FGCs, individual data linkage studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black youth have consistently reported that when they are transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) into independence, they are not supported or included in decision-making, and they feel isolated and vulnerable as they face an uncertain future. Previous research has documented the ways in which Black youths' experiences in care are characterized by unpredictability and loss, but then care ends—and they continue to struggle. For Black youth in care, this transition can be exceptionally difficult as they are contending with the additional strain of doing so within the child welfare system and larger social context characterized by a loss of community and the persistence of anti-Black racism. Presently, there are no empirical studies in Ontario that investigate Black youth's narratives transitioning from OOHC; this manuscript seeks to fill this gap in knowledge. Employing Adultification and Anti-Black Racism Theory as theoretical frameworks, this qualitative study investigated the narratives of 27 Black youth with lived experiences navigating OOHC in Ontario's child welfare system. This study utilized narrative inquiry as a methodological approach. Three main narratives were identified: (1) the need for finances and a financial literacy; (2) narratives of aging out and (3) the challenges of navigating funding. To better support Black youth in their transition out of care and in independent living, recommendations for policy and practice include earlier transitional support, ensuring youth have a practical understanding of financial literacy, and educating youth about resources and their rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This constructivist‐grounded‐theory study explored how foster and kinship carers conceptualize and experience their role. Background: Internationally, amid growing emphasis on home‐based care for children and young people living outside parental care, issues such as carer shortages, dissatisfied carers, and placement instability present significant challenges. Method: Sixteen carers (seven foster carers and nine kinship carers) from a regional area in Victoria, Australia, participated in in‐depth interviews following constructivist‐grounded‐theory protocols. Results: Six categories reveal the central ways carers go about caring for children and young people and the main challenges they face in doing so. The core category of "being a parent, but not" demonstrates tensions that carers experience in trying to establish a sense of belonging and connectedness with a child, within the limits of the Victorian home‐based care system. Conclusion: Home‐based carers view their role through a parental lens, but with various limitations that restrict their sense of being a parent. Implications: The current research acknowledges the role tensions inherent within the Victorian home‐based care system and emphasizes the importance of raising the status of foster and kinship carers to provide more recognition of the expertise they hold in the care of children and young people within this complex context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated children in out-of-home care have experienced trauma and a significant proportion are in need of behavioral health services (e.g. Casaneuva et al., NSCAW II baseline report: Child well-being, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 2011). Accessing services requires interagency coordination between child welfare and behavioral health professionals; however, challenges to coordination and collaboration may result in lack of service utilization for many youth (Hanson et al. 2016). Utilizing a mixed methodological approach, this paper describes the results of a study conducted five years after full state-wide implementation of processes designed to promote the use of evidence-based practices to inform decision-making for youth dually served by the child welfare and behavioral health systems. Outcomes from the study were used to develop strategies to address programmatic concerns and reinforce implementation supports. Study findings may aid organizations seeking to reinforce data-informed practices and employ strategies for addressing barriers at the worker and agency level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The receipt of long-term financial social assistance (FSA) as an indicator of financial difficulties among Finnish youth with prenatal substance exposure (PSE) was investigated in comparison with unexposed youth. Data from national health and social welfare registers were collected for 18–24-year-old exposed (n = 355) and unexposed (n = 1011) youth. The influence of youth and maternal characteristics and out-of-home care (OHC) on the association between PSE and youth's long-term FSA receipt was studied by generalized linear models and mediation analyses. Exposed youth had an increased likelihood of long-term FSA receipt (OR 4.89, 95% CI 3.76, 6.37) but the difference with unexposed was attenuated following adjustments for youth and maternal characteristics and OHC (AOR 1.33, 95% CI 0.89, 1.98). Maternal long-term FSA receipt (0.48, 95% CI 0.35, 0.64) and OHC (0.63, 95% CI 0.47, 0.83) mediated a large proportion of the association between PSE and youth's long-term FSA receipt. Youth's mental or behavioral disorders partly mediated the association (0.21, 95% CI 0.14, 0.30), but the mediating effect of lack of secondary education was minor (0.03, 95% CI 0.01, 0.07). Receipt of long-term FSA among youth with PSE likely reflects maternal substance abuse linked with maternal financial situation and care instability in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than three decades, official and independent enquiries have documented the poor outcomes experienced by many young people transitioning from out‐of‐home care (OOHC) in Australia, known as care leavers. Yet, until 2017, most of the state and territory governments cut off financial support to these vulnerable young people at no later than 18 years of age and failed to provide them with the ongoing material and relationship assistance into early adulthood guaranteed to most of their non‐care peers. Australia was regarded internationally as a leaving care laggard. This paper examines the remarkably effective advocacy strategies used by the Home Stretch campaign, formed in 2016, to persuade all Australian jurisdictions to extend OOHC until 21 years. By the end of 2022, every state and territory had agreed to introduce some form of extended care, and Australia was recognised as a global leader in leaving care policy and programmes provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern exists that the growing over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) across Australia is perpetuating historical, discriminatory child removal policies and practices. The disproportionate number of Indigenous children in OOHC is increasing at the same time as growing multi-jurisdictional policy and legal mandate for Indigenous self-determination, leadership, and cultural connectedness in the OOHC space. This study aims to provide evidence and instruction to social work educators, policymakers and practitioners in Australia's complex child protection, wellbeing, and justice systems about why and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-controlled organizations are best placed to lead OOHC service delivery for Indigenous children, their family and community. The qualitative research, located in Queensland, engages the knowledge and experience of Elders, Indigenous child safety professionals and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young adults who have recently exited OOHC to explore the importance of Indigenous-led OOHC service provision for generating genuine, intergenerational systemic change. Ten themes or authoritative Directives to non-Indigenous stakeholders are elicited and discussed. The paper concludes with three recommendations that press for a shift in the Western values and practices that underscore the monitoring and evaluation of Indigenous-led OOHC service providers by government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies show that children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) face significant disadvantage in completing high school and accessing post-secondary education. The current research involved a two-round Delphi survey which aimed to identify educational challenges and school reforms to improve the educational experiences of children and young people in OOHC. A total of 45 participants from three OOHC stakeholder groups (carers of children in OOHC, professionals/educators, and young people with lived experience of OOHC) completed the round one survey which consisted of open-ended questions analysed using thematic analysis. In the second survey round, 19 participants completed a Likert scale questionnaire which drew on themes from the round one thematic analysis. Using a consensus threshold of 70% for the round two survey, participants agreed that students in OOHC face a myriad of educational challenges, such as dealing with a history of trauma, frequent home and school transitions, mental health issues and stigma as a result of being in OOHC. It was agreed that teachers lack knowledge and experience, and schools lack support for students in OOHC. Stakeholders recommended provision of greater mental health support, coordination of services and more autonomy for OOHC students regarding their education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to address the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) using mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) delivered via virtual reality (VR). MBIs can improve emotion regulation and executive functioning, but engagement can be challenging, especially for children with other health conditions and trauma. Method: Virtual reality goggles with a head-mounted display, head tracking, and handheld controls were used. Measures included heart rate variability (HRV), the State Mindfulness Scale, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2. The procedure involved a baseline assessment of state mindfulness, a 5-min sitting baseline HRV measurement, VR orientation, exploration of the VR landscape, a mindfulness body scan, a second HRV measurement during the body scan, and completing a post-VR questionnaire. Results: No significant improvement in state mindfulness was found as measured by the State Mindfulness Scale. However, a significant improvement with moderate effect size was seen pre-to-post-intervention on the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (p = 0.007, d = − 0.69). We also explored the impact of age, sex, and diagnosis on the intervention and found significant improvements in state mindfulness across subgroups. HRV did not show a significant change pre-to-post-intervention. Conclusions: Our study highlights the potential for MBI-VR to improve mindfulness in Aboriginal children and young people in OOHC who have experienced abuse and trauma. Brief mindfulness sessions were effective at enhancing state mindfulness as measured by the MAAS; the older participants and those with mental health concerns benefitted the most. Further research with more diverse samples is needed to validate the findings and examine potential interactions between demographic and clinical factors. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Vulnerability" is now a widely used term in different settings—from politics and academia to everyday life. In response, a growing body of research has emerged critiquing and challenging the use of the concept in the social sciences. In this paper, we explore the use of the term vulnerability in research on children in out-of-home care and discuss the possible negative consequences of this—for the people involved and for the knowledge produced. Showing some of the problems involved in classifying these children as "particularly vulnerable", we argue that there is a need for more nuanced understandings of children growing up in out-of-home care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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