Names of investigators/project team members
Dr Melissa O’Donnell – Coordinating Principal Investigator
Dr Rebecca Glauert
Mr Fernando Lima
Department for Child Protection and Family Support
Project description
Currently, there is limited evidence on the outcomes of children who have left out-of-home care in Australia. Aligned to the Out-of-Home Care Strategic Directions in WA 2015-2020, the Department for Child Protection and Family Support has commissioned The Kids Research Institute Australia, through the Developmental Pathways Project, to examine outcomes for children who have been in care in WA for:
- The Department for Child Protection and Family Support’s Outcomes Framework for Children in Out of Home Care, Outcome Area Six - Future Life Opportunities; and
- To provide advice to the Ministerial Advisory Council on Child Protection.
This project will identify the outcomes, determined by a range of government agency contacts, for a cohort of young people in WA aged 18-24 years who have had a period of care as children. Births of children to care leavers and subsequent child protection re-presentations will also be measured.
The project is using linked data from a number of government agencies, including the WA Departments of Health, Education, Corrective Services, and Child Protection and Family Support. Data from the Department of the Attorney General (Courts) will also be included if received in time. Service contacts and outcomes will be compared for three groups of children – children currently aged between 18 and 24 years who have had a period in care; children with the same date of birth range as the previous group with substantiated maltreatment but no periods in care; and a demographically similar control group of children from the WA population with no contact with the Department for Child Protection and Family Support.
Plain language summary
The Kids Research Institute Australia, through the Linked Analytics and Social Policy team, has been commissioned by the Department for Child Protection and Family Support to investigate outcomes for children who have left out-of-home care and are currently 25 years of age. The project is using linked data from a number of government agencies, including the WA Departments of Health, Education, Corrective Services, and Child Protection and Family Support. Data from the Department of the Attorney General (Courts) will also be included if received in time. Service contacts and outcomes, such as educational attainment, will then be compared with a similar group of WA children who have had contact with the Department for Child Protection and Family Support but have not been in care, and a control group of similar children who have had no contact with the Department for Child Protection and Family Support. Births of children to care leavers and subsequent child protection re-presentations will also be measured.
Funders of the project
Department for Child Protection and Family Support
External collaborators
Department for Child Protection and Family Support