Placement services

Placement services, also known as alternative care or out-of-home care services, provide places (accommodation and support) for children and young people who are unable to live at home.

A range of services are required to respond to the different levels of support needs of the child or young person and provide stable, quality care within Child Safety Services' case management framework.

The types of placement services include:

Foster and kinship care

Foster and kinship care is provided to a child or young person with moderate to high support needs in a carer's home.

Foster and kinship care services are responsible for recruiting, training, assessing and supporting carers who have been approved by Child Safety Services.

Approved carers are eligible to receive cost reimbursement paid directly by Child Safety Services via the Fortnightly Caring Allowance and High Support Needs Allowance in accordance with Child Safety Services policy.

Foster and kinship carers should have access to regular and emergency respite, facilitated by the service.

Note:

• Some foster and kinship care services may also support carers who have been provisionally approved by Child Safety Services, while those carers are undertaking the formal departmental carer approval process.
• Some foster and kinship carers are supported directly by Child Safety Services and not a non-government foster and kinship care service.

Specialist foster care

Specialist foster care is provided to a child or young person with complex to extreme support needs in a carer's home where the carers provide specialised care. Typically carers providing specialist foster care will care for only one child or young person at a time.

Specialist foster care services are responsible for recruiting, training, assessing and supporting carers who have been approved by Child Safety Services.

Approved carers are eligible to receive cost reimbursement paid directly by Child Safety Services via the Fortnightly Caring Allowance and High Support Needs Allowance. In addition these carers may be eligible for extra reimbursement up to the level of the Complex Support Needs Allowance in accordance with Child Safety Services policy.

Carers supported by specialist foster care services should have access to higher levels of regular and emergency respite, facilitated by the service, with services also expected to provide on-call support arrangements.

Note:

• Some specialist foster care services may also support carers who have been provisionally approved by Child Safety Services, while those carers are undertaking the formal departmental carer approval process.

Specific response care

Specific response care is provided to a child or young person with extreme support needs in the home of a Child Safety Services' approved foster or kinship carer, where the carer is employed and paid a salary or wage by a service provider.

Approved carers are also eligible to receive cost reimbursement paid directly by Child Safety Services via the Fortnightly Caring Allowance and High Support Needs Allowance in accordance with Child Safety Services policy.

Carers supported by specific response care services should have access to higher levels of regular and emergency respite, facilitated by the service, with services also expected to provide on-call support arrangements.

Residential care

Residential care is provided to a young person in residential premises (not a carer's own home) by paid or contracted workers and/or volunteers.

Residential care is primarily for young people aged 12-17 years with complex to extreme support needs and mostly involves small group care (up to 6 places), though may also accommodate sibling groups with moderate to high needs or individual care arrangements.

Residential care provides an environment that supports the young person in their adolescent development and is an alternative to family based care.

Residential care may include live-in or rostered workers with combinations of awake and sleepover shifts and on-call arrangements. Services are often expected to provide care 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including when young people are not attending school during holiday periods or at other times.

Therapeutic residential care

Therapeutic residential care is provided to a young person in residential premises (not a carer's own home) by paid or contracted workers.

Therapeutic residential care is primarily for young people aged 12-15 years with complex to extreme support needs who require an intensive level of therapeutic care and are unable to be appropriately placed in other forms of out-of-home care. Therapeutic residential care involves small group care (either 4 or 6 places) and may also accommodate sibling groups.

Therapeutic residential care provides a time-limited therapeutic environment conducive to young people recovering from the impact of physical, psychological and emotional trauma and pain resulting from their experience of harm or risk of harm.

Therapeutic residential care services will be provided in a least restrictive environment, which is designed to minimise the risk of self-harming and violence.

Indigenous Safe House

Indigenous Safe Houses deliver a supervised residential care service providing placements for children and young people aged 0-17 years and a related Family Intervention service providing practical supports to families, and parenting interventions during supervised contact consistent with case plan goals.

Services will be located on the Indigenous communities of Aurukun, Kowanyama, Napranum, Pormpuraaw, Doomadgee, Palm Island, Torres Strait, Northern Peninsula Area, Eastern Cape York Peninsula, and Mornington Island. A foster care house will also be located at Yarrabah.

Supported independent living

Supported independent living is provided to a young person in residential premises (not a carer's own home) by paid or contracted workers and/or volunteers, where the workers generally do not live in the house but provide external support through regular visiting.

Supported independent living involves individual or small group living and is most suited for young people aged 15-17 years with moderate to complex support needs who are transitioning to independent living.

Further information

For further information, please contact your regional Community Support Team.