Out-of-home care services

Why this is important

Out-of-home care is a temporary, medium or long-term living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live in their family home. 

This includes:

• foster care – where a child is taken into care by a trained and approved foster carer
• kinship care – where a child is taken into care by a relative or family friend
• residential care – where a young person is placed into a home staffed by carers. 

Children living in out-of-home care are more likely to have complex behavioural, psychological, medical and physical needs than other children. 

Out-of-home care is essential for children who cannot live with their birth family. These children come from many cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds but have generally experienced some degree of trauma from abuse, neglect or abandonment. 

It is important that the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing understands the demand for out-of-home care to make sure it delivers suitable services to all children and young people who need them.

What we plan to examine

We plan to examine if the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing is meeting demand for out of-home care services for Victorian children.

Who we plan to examine

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Further information

This engagement builds on our reports Quality of Child Protection Data (2022) and Kinship Care (2022).