Out-of-home care in Australia: A State by State comparison

Abstract

All Australian statutory child welfare agencies collect and report data on children under their supervision, but it is not always clear from this data how many children are actually placed in out-of-home care. This paper reports on a survey of the eight state and territory statutory agencies which focused on comparative placement rates, the usage of the two major types of out-of-home care, and placement patterns for Aboriginal/TSI children. Comparisons are drawn with the USA and a number of European countries.