Statewide Review of Out-Of-Home Care Services for Aboriginal Children and Young People - 1999
This report on the Review of Out-of-Home Care Services for Aboriginal Children and Young People in Victoria has been compiled by the Child Protection Branch, Department of Human Services (DHS).
The review has been conducted to consider a range of issues of concern regarding the placement of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care services in the Protection and Care system. These issues include: an over representation of Aboriginal children and young
people in out-of-home care; insufficient and inappropri-ate case management practices in out-of-home care services; inflexible and limited service responses to problems of parenting, family reunification, poverty, abuse and breakdown in cultural kinship systems. The key question to consider is: Does a service system based on out-of-home care provide for the needs of children and families who are currently in the system?
The major aim of the review was to examine the current situation of out-of-home care and find the means to decrease the over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in care. The objectives of the review brief were devised as a guideline for achieving the following:
- To develop a program statement for placement and support services.
- To articulate the service requirements, service models and linkages with other relevant service systems.
- To identify standards and performance measures for such services in line with family-centred practice, recognising the unique cultural needs of Aboriginal families.
An Advisory Group was established to ensure that consultation with Aboriginal communities occurred. The Group also ensured cultural appropriateness in the conduct of the review and that an Aboriginal perspective on out-of-home care issues was considered. A Project Officer for the review was employed by Youth and Family Services Division.