FCA ACT Draft Input to Out of Home Care
2 June, 2014
Overall some very creative, constructive and exciting changes and a few problems
1. A flat rate for all in care apart from those with professional carers
The Problem
The proposed model assumes that a small group has extreme needs and all others in care have a homogenous level of need. Carers need the resources to flexibly support those children and young people- with very high needs- who are not eligible for the professional carers program.
The FCA supports cost-savings. At the same time costs will increase if the resources allocated do not support stable placements and protect carers from burnout. This would require increased recruitment, training, and new placement costs. Most importantly lack of stable placements come at a great psychological and emotional cost to those in care, disrupting trust and compounding their difficulties with attachment. The ongoing cost to society when a high proportion of these children and young people spend time in psychiatric institutions,
Proposed solution
We believe that foster children or young people with high needs, who are not in the professional carers program, need to have access to a ‘top up’ of standardised supplementary funding based on those special needs. We do not support a squeaky-wheel allocation which is the likely result of discretionary funding with non-standardised criteria. Different categories and degrees of special needs need to be formalised and allocated specific top-up amounts - E.G. a child in a wheel chair, a young person with violent behaviours.
Perhaps these could be linked to a combination of extra costs, time required and stress levels. This might include the cost of disability taxis, extent of availability required 12 hours a day vs 24 hours a day, needing to take a day off work to recover from ‘an episode’.
2. Enduring parental responsibility
Brilliant that the waiting period for Enduring Parental Responsibility is being dropped to one year instead of the current two years.
Proposal
We suggest that the current process itself can also be simplified.
a.Screening / assessment
Problem
Foster carers have already been screened, trained, chosen, reassessed etc. To undergo further extensive assessment is time consuming, against the current Federal anti-red-tape program and is unwarranted.
Proposed solution
If a placement is going well and is long term, it should be a natural transition. This needs to be brought in as a matter of urgency to free up departmental resources.
Thought needs to be given to foster parents with children on EPRs. Do they also need to undergo the 3 year reassessment process (if not fostering any other children) and if so how will they be assessed, by whom and in relation to what criteria. If they 'fail' could an EPR then be revoked on that condition, and if so, under what circumstances?
b. Conditions
Problem
Currently carers applying for EPRs for children in their care are not meant to take other foster children in for a year. This shuts down foster carer capacity. Its original aim was to help stabilise a secure environment in a long term placement.
Proposed solution
The FCAACT suggests that whetheror not other foster children enter a foster family should be judged on each individual family's capacity. This change could quickly and easily create more foster care placements as settled carers with a settled child or young person, with the capacity to take in other children, would be allowed to do so. This also has the potential to reduce costs if we can optimise (and support) the carers we have rather than having carers leave the system which requires more recruiting, training etc.
3. More permanent arrangements for younger children
Problem
The term “young child”is not clearly and consistently defined.
Proposed solution
That all terms, their definitions and implications of those definitions be clarified. For instance- is a ‘young child’ under 2 at age of entry into care as implied? How does this flow on in sibling groups? If the youngest is under 2 upon entry into care, and the sibling group is together in placement, does this whole group of children then fall into a more timely decision making process?
4. Professional foster carers
Professional foster care for children with complex needs is an idea with great possibilities for our most challenging children and young people.
Problem
If more than one of these children are in a home where one parent gives 24/7 care PTSD of carers and burnout become likely.We are concerned that this become a better, more healthy environment for these very high needs individuals – not just cheaper24/7 residential care in a foster carer's own home?
Proposed solution
The FCA suggests a more detailed examination of how this will work.
5. Regular review of carers
Problem 1
This has the potential to unsettle those in foster care by adding unnecessary uncertainty.
Proposed solution 1
If carer’s approval is to be renewed every three years needs we need to have a clearly defined and transparent process with clear appeals/improvement plans where appropriate. If it is just linked to a renewed vulnerable people's check and training being up to date, this needs to be clearly spelled out. The aim should to be to maintain stability for the child where ever possible and the focus needs to be on supporting the carer towards maintaining that stability.
Problem 2
Strengthening accountability mentions ' a series of panels'. This echoes the past relationship between carers and the agencies / the Department where the focus is only on the accountability of carers. This may be a politically popular focus. However, the agencies and the Department also need to be accountable and transparent.
Proposed solutions 2
2a.The FCA would like to see theproposed governance and membership arrangements for these panels.
2b.Also, panels should not be deciding on the basis of named families but rather on the basis of anonymous details of each case. This approach is used in many social contexts to overcome potential bias and to protect confidentiality in a city as small as Canberra.
2c.Alongside the accountability agenda there needs to be room for carers, agencies and the Department to make mistakes. With behaviours resulting in abuse being the obvious exception – people need to be under less scrutiny, which only results in covering up mistakes. Instead we need to be working together in culture of encouragement, training, support, and the ongoing learning and improvement of all stakeholders. Carers should be ‘caught our doing the right thing’, congratulated and not criticised or thought less of as carers when they need help.
6. Advocacy unit
Where would the independent carer advocacy service sit? How will it operate?
7. Foster carer retention
Proposal
The FCA believes that a better system should also result in better foster care retention, reducing costs growth in recruitment and training of people into foster care. Foster carer retention should be a target which is measured along with reasons carers leave the system. One foster carer encouraged back into the system is much cheaper than recruiting a new foster carer. Continued next page…
This goal needs to be kept in mind in relation to each step of reform as this is how we keep the skills we already have and have the best chance of increasing the stability of placements to the benefit of those in care.
8. Training in therapeutic model
Training all carers in therapeutic care is a great initiative which we wholeheartedly support.
Some issues for clarification
Will training/skills/qualifications of carers be recognised? Will online training be available?
Will there also be training for:
- Care and Protection Services
- Agency staff
- Department staff
Will their ability to work within this model to support carers and those in care be reassessed every three years?
Proposed addition
The FCA suggests that paid foster carer input be included into each of the 3 areas of training above, as well as in the training for new and re-training carers.
9. The need for validating language
Foster families are real families. The document refers to “children who cannot live with their families”. Please clarify if biological family is meant here.
10. Contact
“A detailed four tiered model of contact.” is of great interest to the FCA. Is this available for comment or consultation? We believe this needs to be reviewed to ensure it ensures the safety of carers, as well as recognition of the needs of carers and carer families.
11. Information management
Serious thought needs to be given to interjurisdictional information sharing. E.G. a family that moves interstate to have their new baby after having their other 4 children removed due to neglect and abuse should show up on their new state's care and protection record keeping. Otherwise they are given a clean slate.
12. An aid to linking above comments to page numbers/sections of Department documents. Comments below are incomplete. Please read above.
p.7. Economic outcomes - It should be noted that a better system should also result in better foster care retention, reducing costs growth in recruitment and training of people into foster care.
p.7 Strengthening high risk families domain - Young children needs to be defined..is the definition under 2 at age of entry into care as implied later in your paragraph? How does this flow on in sibling groups eg if the youngest is under 2 upon entry into care, and the sibling group is together in placement, does then this whole group of children fall into a more timely decision making process?
p8. contact services... skilled paraprofessional staff – We are unclear about the skills and professionalism required.. a mention of what is meant by paraprofessional would be helpful.
p.8 creating a continuum of care. You refer to children who cannot live with their families... please reference which family you mean when you do that E.G. biological family. (the children can and do live with their foster families).
p8. professional foster care for children with complex needs and sibling groups ... it would be good to get more information on how precisely this will work eg in their own homes, in homes set up by the department. Can they refuse to foster children? Is this just residential care, but cheaper for the department as it is in a foster carer's own home?
p.9 Brilliant that the waiting period for Enduring Parental Responsibility is being dropped to one year instead of the current two years. I suggest that also the current process can be simplified. Foster carers have already been screened, trained, chosen, reassessed etc. To undergo further extensive assessment is time consuming, red tape and unwarranted.
Thought needs to be given to if foster parents with children on EPRs also need to undergo the 3 year reassessment process (if not fostering any other children) and what it what mean..what would happen if they 'fail'. Could an EPR then be revoked on that condition, and if so, under what circumstances?
Carer approval renewed every three years needs to have clear process and clear appeals/improvement needed plans where appropriate.
p9. Strengthening accountability. ' a series of panels". What are the governance, membership arrangements for these panels?
p.10 Where would the independent carer advocacy service sit?
p.12 last para - The reunification service model will... Can I suggest you include stabilise and assess health needs and growth? Not included above
p.13 A detailed four tiered model of contact.... is this available for comment or consultation? if not, can it be reviewed to ensure safety of carers, as well as recognition of needs of carers
p.14, typo, last word. I think you meant costs, not cots.
p.16. Supports for permanency. Again, age of young children needs to be mentioned, also what that means in a sibling group with one very young child.
p.20. Carer recruitment and assessment. Thought needs to be given to carer retention as part of ensuring carer numbers are optimum.
p.21. Training all carers in therapeutic care. Will training/skills/qualifications of carers be recognised? Will online training be available?
p.22 Care and Protection Services and agency training. I suggest you consider including foster carer input into all training.
p.23 Information management. Serious thought needs to be given to interjurisdictional information sharing. E.G a family that moves interstate to have their new baby after having their other 4 children removed due to neglect and abuse should show up on their new state's care and protection record keeping. Otherwise they are given a clean slate.
1