The Child Protection system requires a well-resourced foster care program to provide the necessary court ordered home-based care placements for children who are unable to live with their parents, kin or families.

Victoria is currently experiencing a severe shortage of foster carers with AIHW data showing that twice the number of carers are leaving the system than are being recruited. Without volunteer foster carers children are more likely to be placed in expensive and inappropriate residential care or contingency arrangements such as motels. This situation requires urgent action because of the detrimental consequences for children and because it is expensive and financially unsustainable for the care system.

While all jurisdictions in Australia have experienced challenges in recruiting and retaining foster carers, Victoria stands out with the highest ratio of carers leaving the care system. There are a range of factors which explain Victoria’s high carer attrition rate including (but not limited to);

• lowest level 1 Care Allowance in Australia;

• inadequate funding for health and education supports which leaves carers out of pocket for care related expenses;

• carer recruitment programs which are not industry best practice;

• poor or non-existent service delivery standards;

• lack of carer respect and acknowledgement.

The FCAV advocates for solutions to systemic challenges impacting the care of children and young people in home-based care in Victoria.

Our advocacy targets Government, Departments and sector partners through liaison and solution based partnerships, campaigns, research and raising carer voices at all levels to address service delivery and systemic challenges. Home-based carers and supports for placements of children and young people are critical to driving down carer attrition rates, and positive word of mouth recruitment.