Promoting Permanency for children in Out of Home Care

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Promoting Permanency for children in Out of Home
Care

• The experience in the ACT
• Satnam Singh

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• Enduring Parental Responsibility Order

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Children and Young People in Out of Home Care

• 14,000 in 1996 increased to 28,441 in 2007
• An increase of 12 on previous year
• Over a 10 year period, 1997-2007 an increase of
  102
• Indigenous children 6 times higher than other
  children

Child protection 2006 -2007 AIHW
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• Over 75 had been in care for more than 2 years.
  
• Almost 50 of children had experienced at least 3
  or more moves in placement,
• 28 had experienced more than 5 moves and over
  18
• had experienced more than 10 placements.
• (CREATE 2006)

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• The rates of placement change are relatively
  high, with some children experiencing as many as
  20 or more placements (Delfabbro et al 2000).

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• Multiple placements, changes in schools,
  neighbourhoods and communities, irregular contact
  with their families, the loss of friends and
  numerous changes of workers undermine continuity
  of care, stability, and young people's sense of
  security and identity
• Cashmore and Paxman 2007

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• There is compelling evidence that multiple
  placements and so called foster care drift
  result in serious relational, emotional and
  cognitive consequences for children
• Thompson, McArther and Winkworth (2005)

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Children in OOHC - ACT

• At end of May 2008
• 503 children/YP in care of the CE
• 416 In OOHC
• 203 in Foster Care
• 159 in Kinship Care

Unofficial data
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• Stability refers to the robustness of the
  placement arrangements to minimise unnecessary
  and unplanned moves
• Permanency refers to the psychological security
  that a young person develops.

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Enduring Parental Responsibility Orders

• The child or young person is in the care of the
  chief executive
• Has been living with the same carer for at least
  2 years, or a total of two years out of the
  previous three.

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• The EPR transfers all of the CEs
  responsibilities on to the carer, and provides a
  residence order in favour of the carers.

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Issues

• Cultural shift in thinking
• Financial issues
• Ongoing support

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End of June 2008

• 70 Children/Yp reviewed for permanency
• 10 EPR orders granted
• 1 EPR assessment now an adoption application
• 7 assessments in progress
• 30 waiting allocation

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Thank You

• Satnam Singh
• Senior Manager