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Communities is coordinating a significant Out of Home Care (OOHC) reform agenda to align services with current evidence-based, trauma informed child protection case practice and reduce the number of children in care.
The key priorities of the sector wide reform are greater stability for children entering care, with an emphasis on siblings remaining together; improved opportunities for early reunification and young people leaving care well prepared; greater cultural connection; and a service system that is Aboriginal led, flexible and needs-driven with improved accountability and regulation.
For all children and young people – but especially Aboriginal children and young people – changes to the whole system will result in children in care arrangements that meet their physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs in keeping with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.
Following an open tender procurement process, 16 providers have been awarded a new contract to deliver OOHC services in WA over the next five to seven years. This includes five new ACCOs who will be providing OOHC services for the first time, alongside Yorganop who already delivers culturally safe OOHC services in Western Australia.
The ACCOs who have been awarded contracts are:
- Yorganop Association
- Karla Kuliny Aboriginal Corporation
- Kinship Connections
- Wungening Aboriginal Corporation
- SWAMS – Kwaba Bidi
- Centacare Kimberley
Community Services Organisations awarded contacts are:
Latest news
Show moreTransition (December 2023):
The Out of Home Care (OOHC) reform project is steadily moving through the current phase of the plan; working with providers and carers to ensure a smooth transition of services.
Strengthening OOHC knowledge
The OOHC implementation team have been working to strengthen relationships and collaboration with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) across the regions.
ACCO Strengthening Knowledge team members are visiting ACCOs across the state to sit with staff in their service and support the needs identified through individualised Implementation plans.
Recently, Implementation team members visited the South West Aboriginal Medical Services (SWAMS) in Bunbury to review the Implementation Plan, build partnerships and offer support and training.
Implementation team members have also been in Broome WA, working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, Centacare Kimberley and across Perth working with other ACCOs to review implementation plans and offer support.
Each ACCO has been assigned a strengthening OOHC knowledge team member who is working alongside them to cultivate strong and open working relationships. Weekly or fortnightly multidisciplinary meetings with members from different Communities divisions enables a holistic approach to supporting ACCOs and ensures the correct information is received.
New and exiting service providers are building networks, while relationships between ACCOs are developing across the state. New service providers have expressed their appreciation for the child-centred approach to the transition of children and carers.
Collaboration and Support across ACCOs
The OOHC implementation team have been working with the Noongar Family Safety and Wellbeing Council (the Council) who are leading the work to support the ACCOs to build knowledge, understanding and capacity and prepare to deliver their services. The Council have worked closely with each ACCO to understand their needs and identify what additional training and cultural resources they can provide.
The Council is also facilitating collaborative discussions with all the ACCOs, providing opportunities for them to share expertise and work through challenges together.
Communities are also working with all the community service organisations and ACCOs to co-design a framework of monitoring and evaluation and develop tools and processes to enable ongoing monitoring of service and an opportunity for continuous improvement and innovation.
Celebrating partnerships and progress: foster carer information sessions
The OOHC team have also been providing a place for foster carers to come together.
Communities, in partnership with Key Assets, Life Without Barriers, Accordwest and South West Aboriginal Medical Services held a Foster Carer Information session in Bunbury. The session was attended by carers, representatives from Foster Family South West and OOHC providers.
Other Foster Carer Information sessions have also provided opportunities for carers transitioning to new providers to speak with other providers in their region and showed the collective commitment of OOHC providers and Communities to engage with carers, helping them make informed decisions about future caring options.
Visit the Resources for sector partners page for more updates.
OOHC carer information session
MercyCare hosted a carer information session for foster carers featuring talks by representatives from Key Assets, MacKillop Family Services, Yorganop Association, Wungening, Uniting WA, Parkerville, Wanslea, Lifestyle Solutions, Kinship Connections and Life Without Barriers.
