Berry Street welcomes the Five Year Out of Home Care Plan

Berry Street strongly supports the Government’s commitment to ensure that all young people in residential care benefit from a therapeutic approach under the new Five Year Out of Home Care plan released yesterday.

No child is to be removed from their parents’ care without compelling evidence of the significant harm they have suffered.

This places a heavy responsibility on all of us – the community, the organisations that care for these children, departments and governments – to ensure they receive the help they need to recover and, hopefully, go on to lead productive adult lives.

Berry Street strongly supports the Government’s commitment to ensure that all young people in residential care benefit from a therapeutic approach. The evidence confirms that this can deliver significantly better outcomes and should be the ‘standard’ approach.

Developing 100 new therapeutic packages is the first step in achieving a more professionalised response for all children in foster care, something we know the Minister has been advocating for nationally.

Berry Street also welcome the role the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People will play to focus on the particular needs of Aboriginal children and young people and the commitment to work together through a Reform Advisory Group.

Much of this reform relies on a robust and resilient foster care system. However, with foster care having declined from 37% in 2002 to 21% in 2013, the Plan does not tackle how we will turn this around.

Berry Street also intends to work with the Government and Opposition in the lead up to the election to ensure that the next critical building blocks are put in place to achieve what we all want – children who are safe and who receive all the help they so desperately need.

Source: Berry Street