The Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) is currently exploring the legislative and practice approaches being undertaken by other jurisdictions in Australia to improve permanency for children in out of home care (OOHC) for whom returning to the care of their birth parents is not an option.
This paper explores the out-of-home care system, and system reforms in New South Wales (NSW). It includes key statistics relating to children in out-of-home care in New South Wales, and outlines evidence supporting the importance of permanency. Permanency planning relates to the decision by authorising governing bodies to permanently place children and young people with a family that is deemed to be able to adequately provide for the child and young person’s education, health, safety and general wellbeing that results in any unlikely future moves to other placements, giving children and young people in OOHC a greater sense of security and stability. This paper was written by student Ms Lisa Keegan from Griffith University as the part of a trial summer scholar program initiative between Griffith University and the QFCC.