Working towards a guarantee for kids in out-of-home care
Rani Kumar and Linda Frow
UnitingCare Burnside and NSW Council of Social Services
Contact Email:   rkumarburnside.org.au

Research shows that outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) consistently lag behind that of children and young people in the general population . There is consensus among community organisations and policy makers that this is unacceptable and must be addressed urgently. However agreement on how to address this long term issue has been difficult to reach. This year in the lead up to the NSW state election the Every Kid coalition, a group of key community service agencies, proposed a Guarantee for Kids in Care as a mechanism to ensure services and supports for children and young people who have been removed from their families. The Guarantee promotes a holistic, coordinated approach to a child or young person’s life.

This paper will focus on the Guarantee and how it operationalises the rights of children in care through tangible strategies in health, recreation, education, transition to independence and pursuit of interests. It will explore broader research and policy directions in this area and discuss similar initiatives that have been adopted in other countries such as the UK and other Australian states.

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