Page 4069 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 23 October 2018
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This snapshot report highlights the following: service demand continues to increase but at a lower rate in 2017-18 than in 2016-17. From July 2017 to June 2018, 155 children and young people entered the out of home care system. This is 41 fewer than in the previous year. As reported in the first six-monthly update, this reduction in demand is also reflected in the lower number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people entering care compared to the previous reporting period.
The majority of children and young people in out of home care, 71 per cent, continue to be children and young people on long-term orders. The number of children and young people on long-term orders has increased from 526 to 592 during the period July 2017 to June 2018. Over half of those in care are currently placed with kinship carers. The majority of children and young people in residential care are aged 12 and above. Residential care remains a key priority area for ACT Together and child and youth protection services who continue to work together to seek to reduce the number of children and young people in residential care.
In the first half of 2018, only two foster carers and two kinship carers have left the system. The number of new carers approved continues to increase, with 26 foster and kinship carers approved during the last quarter of 2017-18. This brings the total to 117 for the financial year compared to 69 in 2016-17. This increase in carer numbers is a great outcome and demonstrates child and youth protection services and ACT Together’s commitment to the recruitment and retention of carers, who are so central to the out of home care system.
Eighty-nine per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in care have a cultural plan in place. This number has fallen in the final quarter of 2017-18 and child and youth protection services has undertaken its usual quarterly review to address compliance with this important feature of the system and to ensure that quality cultural plans are in place. Cultural plans help to continually improve the preservation and enhancement of the identity of the child or young person as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander young person.
As at 30 June 2018, 86 per cent of children and young people who were being supported by prevention programs had not entered care within six months of support commencing under A step up for our kids and 75 per cent of children and young people being supported had not entered care within 12 months of support commencing.
As I mentioned earlier, the data provided in the snapshot report is used by the Community Services Directorate and heads of partner agencies to monitor the progress of A step up for our kids. It is important to note that the data is internal operational data and can 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.
The Community Services Directorate remains committed to the measurement of long-term outcomes. As members would be aware, A step up for our kids is a
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