The number of available Victorian carer households has continued to decline substantially over the last 12 months. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) figures below show Victoria lost over twice the number of carer households than it recruited in the previous three years where household exits significantly exceeded recruitments, with this year breaking an unfortunate record.
The FCAV's latest Carer Snapshot shows a loss of a further 93 households providing care in Victoria for 2023/24.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) collates official data on child protection and carer household numbers Australia wide. AIHW data shows that while carer numbers have been declining in other jurisdictions, Victoria is an outlier in its decline rate with around double exiting the system than commence each year for the past 4 years. This is in line with the FCAV carer snapshot which shows households leaving the system at almost double the rate of the sector's capacity to recruit new carers.
As the tables below demonstrate, Victoria is faring far worse than other states and territories in terms of carer decline.
