Guidelines for responding to quality of care concerns in out of home care

These guidelines have been developed to ensure that quality of care concerns relating to home-based carers (including lead tenants), residential carers and kinship carers are responded to in a consistent and timely manner. We must be confident that children and young people in care are safe and well cared for and that carers are supported and treated fairly while concerns are investigated.

A number of stakeholders have been involved in developing these guidelines, including the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, the Foster Care Association of Victoria, representatives from Community Service Organisations providing out of home care, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations providing out of home care, the Office of the Child Safety Commissioner, CREATE Foundation and the Department of Human Services.

The purpose of the guidelines is to:

• ensure that the safety and wellbeing of the child remains paramount throughout any investigation of possible abuse, neglect or poor quality care provision in out of home care
• ensure a consistent and commonly understood approach to responding to and investigating quality of care concerns in out of home care
• ensure that carers are treated fairly and with respect throughout the investigation process
• provide guidelines for resolving differences while maintaining the safety and wellbeing of the child
• define the roles and responsibilities of those involved in quality of care procedures

Note:

A final working draft of the Guidelines for responding to quality of care concerns in out of home care has been developed to be utilised by all Community Service Organisation and Department of Human Services staff for a period of four months commencing 3 December 2007 to ensure that the procedures work as planned and to provide opportunity for any required amendments to be made. Finalised Guidelines will be available following the working draft period.

Download: Guidelines for responding to quality of care concerns in out of home care: working draft November 2007 [PDF, 2.22mb]

Download: Fact sheet - Guidelines for responding to quality of care concerns in out of home care: introductory information [PDF, 91kb]