Enhancing placement stability via a

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Enhancing placement stability via a continuum of
care approach reflections from the Australian
context
Deirdre Cheers Executive Director Centacare
Broken Bay Care Matters Transforming Lives
Improving Outcomes Keble College Oxford UK 7 - 9
July 2008
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Adapted from AIHW Child Welfare Series and Bath
(2007)
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In Australia Looked After Children are the
responsibility of the States and territories 8
individual jurisdictions In NSW - Department of
Community Services 12,712 Looked After Children
in NSW (June 2007) 30.4 of LAC are Indigenous
(Aboriginal/TSI) Only 3.4of NSW children are
Indigenous Residential care - foster care -
kinship care
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2002 - 2008 1.2 billion of additional NSW
Government funding to strengthen child protection
and care Over 600 million for consolidating
and extending LAC services An early component
of this funding rollout was provision for
residential care for young people with high and
complex needs (High Needs Kids)
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Despite increasing resources the number of Looked
After Children in NSW continues to rise
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Secure units were closed in NSW in 1998 A small
number of young people in care exhibit extremely
challenging and risky behaviours to themselves
and to others Known as High Needs Kids -
acute, crisis-level of disturbance through
self-harming and suicidal, violent or anti-social
behaviour Represent about 2 of children in
care, but accounted for 26 of DoCS LAC budget
(in 2005-06)
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2005 - NSW DoCS contracted four NGOs to work with
High Needs Kids 224 placements across NSW
Centacare Broken Bay Broken Bay 12
residential placements in 4 homes 6 foster care
placements (In 2007 there were 390 approved
places in the 22 secure childrens homes open in
England and Wales) Case management retained by
NSW DoCS placement service only provided by
NGOs
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Mostly adolescents with a history of residential
and foster care placement disruption Seriously
challenging behaviours to self and others Common
diagnoses ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional
Defiant Disorder, Mood Disorders Usually fail to
meet thresholds for intensive intervention by
service systems - disability, mental health and
criminal justice systems - yet still have complex
child protection needs
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Number of placements by percentages of all Looked
After Children in NSW (June 2007 n12,712)
Number of Placements
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• Key features of Continuum of Care approach
• Staged entry and transitional arrangements
• A comprehensive individualised therapeutic
  intervention plan
• Staff move with the young person
• Recreational activities familiarise children
  with staff from future placements
• Risk minimisation approach to co-placement

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• Key challenges
• Reducing placement disruption in community
  settings
• Site
• Behaviour management
• Neighbours
• Attracting and retaining staff
• Recruiting suitable staff
• Vicarious trauma
• Engaging with the Education system

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• Key success factors
• Sufficient funding to meet each childs needs
• Flexibility to redeploy staff to maintain
  attachments
• Close relationship with statutory case
  management agency (DoCS)
• Comprehensive individualised care plan
• Flexibility in young peoples participation in
  care planning
• Reconnecting young people with educational
  success

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• Implications for Practice
• continuum of care approach leads to enhanced
  placement stability
• offers the possibility of consistent, targeted
  therapeutic interventions that
• address trauma
• lead to the establishment of better attachments
  and social functioning
• stabilise behaviours contributing to placement
  breakdowns

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For more information please contact Jean Murray
Senior Manager Out of Home Care jmurray_at_brokenba
y.catholic.org.au Dr. Stephen Mondy Senior
Manager Program Development and
Research smondy_at_brokenbay.catholic.org.au
centacare_at_brokenbay.catholic.org.au