Page 3907 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 29 November 2022
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The A Step Up for Our Kids snapshot report for quarter 4 2021-22, is also being tabled today. As members would be aware, the six-monthly progress report on A Step Up for Our Kids has been presented to the Legislative Assembly since April 2018, with the most recent snapshot report tabled in May 2022. As always, when considering the snapshot report it is important to note the data is internal operational data that may be updated and changed between reporting periods, and caution should be exercised when using and interpreting data in this report and comparing between reporting periods. This snapshot report continues to provide insights into the impact of A Step Up for Our Kids, Our Booris, Our Way and other reforms, as well as the continued challenges in out of home care.
In the 2021-22 financial year, 144 children and young people entered out of home care, and 111 exited out of home care. This is the highest number of entries and the lowest number of exits since snapshot reporting commenced in 2017-18. This has seen an increase in the overall numbers of children and young people in out of home care to 849, compared to 818 at end of the 2020-21 financial year. Of the total number of children and young people who entered care, 41 children and young people returned to care in the 2021-22 financial year, which is slightly lower than in 2020-21 when 43 children and young people returned to care.
The reasons for the increase in number of children and young people in out of home care are complex. We do know that children, young people and their families need earlier support if we are to divert them from contact with the statutory system. Next Steps provides us the reform roadmap over the next eight years. It was developed using a robust evidence base of efficacy in our reform effort over the past six years. This has included hearing from people with lived experience of the system and taking on board their advice on what could be different and better.
Next Steps makes a strong commitment to providing earlier support for families, and sits alongside other strategies that will have an impact on the child and family sector, including the Best Start for Canberra’s Children: First 1000 Days Strategy. Next Steps holds a central focus of improving outcomes for children, young people and families where there is vulnerability and risk and intersection with statutory systems. The implementation of Next Steps will inform and align with the recommissioning of our non-government providers of out of home care and related services. This work is currently underway. We have ensured service continuity for families through extended contracts with our existing providers and gone out to tender for a new provider of specialist therapeutic residential care services.
At the same time, we have ensured that we are progressing important policy work that will make a direct difference to children and young people in the out of home care system. Examples are a new charter of rights for parents and families and looking at supports for young people as they transition to adulthood, in line with our commitment, under the Parliamentary and Governing Agreement, to improve the availability of extended care for young people from 18 years old until they turn 21. Under Next Steps, we are working with funded partners and the broader child, youth and family support sector on how our joint work can provide a more integrated system of supports for families. We are ensuring community sector partners have a strong voice at the table as we co-design the first four-year action plan under Next Steps.
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