June 2022: Infants entering out-of-home care: health, developmental trajectories and services

Missed the live webinar? View a captioned recording.

Details

The number of infants in Australia entering out-of-home care (OOHC) during the first year of life due to child protection concerns is increasing. Research has found that infants and toddlers entering OOHC have the highest rates of substantiated notifications of maltreatment and are at much higher risk of developmental vulnerability, poor health and attachment problems compared to infants who have not been maltreated and/or placed in OOHC. This FACSIAR Lunch and Learn presented information on current research and practice to improve the health and development trajectories of infants entering OOHC and the best ways to support them and their carers.

Findings were presented from the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS); an update from the NSW Health ‘First 2000 Days Framework’; an overview of the research and practice of how best to support foster/kinship carers of infants; along with information about the ‘Health Pathways’ program for children entering OOHC.

Presentation slide decks

• Infants entering care - the First 2000 Days Framework perspective 
  Associate Professor Elisabeth Murphy, Senior Clinical Advisor, Child and Family Health, Ministry of Health
  For more information on this presentation, please email: ResearchPartnerships@facs.nsw.gov.au

  Infants who entered out-of-home care: child protection and developmental trajectories  
  Associate Professor Melissa O’Donnell,  Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia
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  Foster/kinship carers of infants: how are they prepared and supported in their caregiving role?
  Associate Professor Stacy Blythe, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University and the Translational Research and Social Innovation (TReSI) group at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research
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  Health pathway program for children in out-of-home care  
  Angela Tocher, Program Officer, Inter-agency Team, Child and Family Directorate, Strategy, Policy and Commissioning, Department of Communities and Justice
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  Additional materials

  Pathways of Care Longitudinal Studies (POCLS)

  • More information about POCLS
  • View Research reports and Evidence to Action Notes from (POCLS) published by FACSIAR

  First 2000 Days Framework
  For more information about the First 2000 Days Framework, please visit their website.

  Brighter Beginnings – the first 2000 days of life
  A New South Wales Government initiative designed to give children the best start in life, please visit their website.

  Out-Of-Home Care Health Pathways Program

  • FAQ for children on the pathway
  • Caseworkers Guide

  Other Resources

  • Resource from Emerging Minds:  Complex trauma through a trauma-informed lens: supporting the well-being of infants and young children
  • For Aboriginal infants entering care, front line staff should consider activities to strengthen cultural connectedness. We recommend viewing a previous FACSIAR lunch and learn on Practices for fostering lifelong cultural connections
  • For Department of Communities and Justice policies regarding placement of Aboriginal children in care, please see Aboriginal Child and Young Person Placement Principles.

  Questions or Comments?
  Contact: ResearchPartnerships@facs.nsw.gov.au

  A recording of the research-related presentations, slides and other resources will be available here within one week following the webinar.