Last month the SA Government congratulated the 12 newly appointed members of the Carer Council who will guide the state’s policy, practice and legislation for its child protection and family support system. Photo: LinkedIn/Katrine Hildyard.
South Australia’s Minister for Child Protection Katrine Hildyard has launched the Finding Families program to provide more children and young people in the state’s system a better chance of growing up within an appropriate community.
The team of seven senior placement officers will be tasked with identifying safe, secure and sustainable family placements with kin or community, for children and young people currently living in residential care as part of the child protection and family support system.
According to the government, 15 per cent of children in the child protection system are in residential care, while almost 85 per cent live in family-based care.
The 12-month trial was informed by strong evidence that children and young people who grow up in a family environment, experience significantly better life outcomes than those living in long-term residential care.
Ms Hildyard said all children and young people deserved to grow up in an environment where they felt loved, supported and nurtured, and had opportunities to thrive and reach their potential.
“We are determined to try and help ensure that they can, through working with young people and families, look at every possible option for safely keeping young people connected to family and living in a family home,” Ms Hildyard said.
“This team will be flexible and often on the road, having conversations with people of significance to the child or young person, to form a bigger picture of possible support people for the child.”
Finding Families is expected to prioritise children aged 10 and under, including sibling groups, but especially Aboriginal youths who are overrepresented in the state’s system.
Three teams will run the program: one general, one an Aboriginal-specific partnership with KWY Aboriginal Corporation, and one with staff possessing multicultural expertise focused on children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
KWY will lead work alongside local Aboriginal organisations throughout the state and CEO Craig Rigney said it was a commendable and important initiative and collaboration having a Community Controlled Organisation working alongside Department of Child Protection throughout the pilot.
“Being able to work within community for our community and our families is at the core of our daily business,” Mr Rigney said.
“Our specialised workforce and way of engaging with our families is crucial to the success of the initiative.”
With the focus on putting in place appropriate services and supports for the carer to ensure the placement is successful, each team will work closely with government case managers and staff in residential care to identify and refer youths to the program.
From there they will travel across the state, or if necessary the country, to find a suitable and willing host who can care for the child or young person.
This program will be funded by the government’s $13.4 million investment into additional Family Group Conferencing as announced in the 2023/2024 state budget.
Outcomes will be evaluated after one year of the program, to ensure processes are refined and learnings about how to best engage with families and broader support networks are fed back.
