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5. Living away from home

Graphs

Number of children living away from home in home-based care, Queensland, as at 30 June 2016 to 2020

Proportion of children living away from home, by age group, Queensland, as at 30 June 2016 to 2020

Proportion of children living away from home, by primary placement, Queensland, as at 30 June 2020

 Number of children in out-of-home care, by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, as at 30 June 2016 to 2020

Tables

Table notes

What is living away from home?

In conjunction with ongoing intervention, the department sometimes needs to remove a child from their home to ensure their safety.

A child may be removed from their home during the investigation and assessment phase, or during ongoing intervention. Removing a child from their home is a means to provide safety, support and a therapeutic environment.

When a child is placed in the custody or guardianship of the chief executive (Director-General) of the department, it is the department's responsibility to find an appropriate placement for the child.

The department uses various placement services for the children in its care including family-based care (foster, kinship and provisionally approved carers) and residential care services.

Wherever possible, the department seeks to place a child with extended family (kinship carers) in order to maintain family connections.

Children may also be living in other locations such as youth detention centres, mental health facilities, hospitals, as well as independent living arrangements.

When placing an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child in care, a culturally appropriate placement is sought in accordance with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle placement hierarchy.

Why this topic is important

Some Queensland families are unable to provide a safe, secure and caring environment for their children. When this becomes apparent, the department must act to ensure that the response provided is in the best interests of the child or young person. If necessary, this can result in children and young people being placed away from home.

Trends

The number of children and young people living away from home increased by 10.5 per cent from 10,248 as at 30 June 2019 to 11,323 as at 30 June 2020. Over the last five years, the number of children living away from home has increased by 24.6 per cent from 9,091 as at 30 June 2016 to 11,323 as at 30 June 2020.

Of the 11,323 children living away from home as at 30 June 2020, 82.9 per cent (9,391) were in home-based care, 10.0 per cent were placed in a residential care service and 7.0 per cent were in other locations (including hospitals, Queensland youth detention centres, independent living and all other locations).

Of the 9,391 children placed in home-based care, 50.0 per cent (4,694) were placed with kin and 50.0 per cent (4,697) were placed with other family-based carers. The proportion of children in home based-care placed with kin increased from 47.3 per cent as at 30 June 2016 to 50.0 per cent as at 30 June 2020.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are significantly more likely to be living away from home than non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children. As a rate per 1,000 children aged 0 to 17 years, 51.4 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were living away from home, compared with 5.9 non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children as at 30 June 2020. The higher rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children has been a consistent trend over the last five years.

Children in out-of-home care

Data for the measure 'children in out-of-home care' is provided in Table OHC.1 (XLSX, 15 KB) Table OHC.1 (CSV, 4 KB). In accordance with nationally agreed reporting definitions, this measure includes only those children placed in foster care (including kinship care) or a residential care service.

The number of children in out-of-home care increased over the last year from 9,647 as at 30 June 2019 to 10,527 as at 30 June 2020 (an increase of 9.1 per cent). The number of children in out-of-home care has increased by 21.6 per cent since 30 June 2016, from 8,654 to 10,527 as at 30 June 2020.