Out of home care

What is out of home care?

Out of home care is provided/organised by the the Department of Community Services (DOCS) to children and young people under 18 who are unable to live with their parents.

Types of out of home care

There are a range of different types of out of home care, depending on your needs, your situation, and the availability of services. It can be for short-term (days) or long-term (weeks, months or years) periods.

Out of home care can include:

• Foster care - living with people who aren't related to you. 
• Independent living - living with minimal support in a subsidised (financially assisted) place. 
• Kinship care - living with relatives who aren't your biological parents. 
• Semi-independent - living with some support from workers in a subsidised (financially assisted) place. 
• Residential - living with a group of other young people with workers supervising. 
• Respite care - living in care for a regularly planned period of time such as one weekend, a month, or a week during the school holidays.

Reasons you might go into out of home care

Under the law, DOCS will remove you from your parents' care if they have reason to believe you are at immediate risk of serious harm.

There are a range of different reasons why you might go into out of home care. Some of these include:

• Your parents are unable to cope with problems or provide a safe environment.
• Your parents are experiencing illness or depression, or there is a death in the family.
• Sexual, emotional, or physical abuse. 
• Family breakdown.  
• Drug or alcohol abuse.

How being in out of home care might affect you

You may be experiencing a range of emotions if you've been placed in out of home care. You might feel:

• isolated, alone or disconnected
• overwhelmed 
• stressed or anxious 
• sad or depressed 
• sense of shame and distrust of others
• happy (this may be because you feel safer).

The situation may also be affecting you physically. For example, you might:

• feel physically sick, including headaches or migraine
• find it hard to concentrate 
• sleep too much or not enough.

Moving to out of home care may affect other parts of your life too, including school, and you might find you're not able to enjoy the things you normally would.

Suggestions for managing the situation

If you move into out of home care, there are a range of things you can do:

Know your rights - you have the right to participate in decisions about what's happening in your life. This includes being consulted about any decisions regarding your placements, and other factors that have a big impact on your life. You can contact Lawstuff.org.au for free legal advice.

Stay in regular contact with your caseworker - A caseworker will be a social worker or someone appointed to provide support and assistance during your placement. Your caseworker is there for you and should support you in making decisions.

Talk to your teacher/school - It's understandable that changes at home might affect your school work, particularly if you have to move to a different school. Talk to your school counsellor about issues that may be worrying you or ask your caseworker to support you with this.

Look after yourself - It's important to take time out by doing something that you usually enjoy. Even though you might not feel like it, exercising and eating well can help. Getting plenty of sleep can also help.

Get some head space/chill out - Sometimes getting some head space and a change of scenery can be helpful - it's important to give yourself permission to do this regularly. This might include going for a walk or listening to your favourite music, reading a book, going to the movies - whatever works for you.

Myths about living in care

There are many myths about people living in out of home care, including:

• You are unloved by their families - There are many different reasons to be in care.
• You must be a troublemakers and lack respect for society - Like most people, people in care usually just want to fit in and are all individuals. 
• Being in care is a horrible experience - Like most normal homes, there are good and hard times.

Leaving out of home care

Like anyone else who leaves their family home, if you have been in care you need ongoing support to help you adjust to independent living.

DOCS is not only responsible for you while you're in care, but also for developing 'leaving care' or 'after care' plans. It's important to speak to your caseworker about how you can manage the transition smoothly.

More information

NSW

CREATE Foundation - opportunities for children and young people in care - 02 9635 8833 (NSW)

Department of Community Services
Helpline - 132 111 (24 hours, 7 days a week)

NT

Department of Health and Community Services, Northern Territory - 08 8999 2400

QLD

Department of Communities  - 07 3012 8655 OR 13 13 04

VIC

Child Protection Crisis line - 13 12 78 (Toll free for all Victoria, 24 hrs, 7 days a week)

ACT

Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services 
- 13 34 27

SA

Youth and Parent Services - 08 8443 3802 (Emergency accommodation for young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless)

TAS

The Department of Health and Human Services, Out of Home Care North (Launceston) - 03 6336 2376

The Department of Health and Human Services, Out of Home Care North West (Burnie) - 03 6434 6246

The Department of Health and Human Services, Out of Home Care South (Moonah) - 03 6230 7650

Acknowledgement

Thanks to the CREATE Foundation and participants of the Give IT a Go workshop for their advice and information in putting together this fact sheet.