The CETC mobilises knowledge about “what works” in out-of-home care to better resource carers and organisations supporting children and young people living in all forms of care, including foster and kinship care, residential care and secure care.
Our vision is that organisations and carers can be better equipped with the knowledge, skills and networks to ensure that children and young people experience safe, meaningful and resilient relationships in every form of out-of-home care.
The Australian Institute of Family Studies recently released a report titled Improving the Safety and Wellbeing of Vulnerable Children: A Consolidation of Systemic Recommendations and Evidence. This report summarises recommendations from 61 reports and inquiries between 2010 and 2022, highlighting consistent themes linked to the importance of holistic therapeutic care for children and young people.
Having meaningful conversations about consent can be tricky. Understanding consent is built on understanding relationships, safety, and social skills. For this reason, many young people in out-of-home care need regular broader discussions about healthy relationships and boundaries that evolve with the young person's development.
We are excited to announce Professor Lynne McPherson's appointment as Chair of Out-of-Home Care Research. This Chair role, the first of its kind in Australia, is a joint position to generate important research outcomes that inform the efforts of the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care, leading the way in progressing knowledge about "what works" in out-of-home care.
As a division of the Australian Childhood Foundation, the CETC primary aim is to mobilise knowledge to improve outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care. If you have a commitment to hard work and would love the opportunity to support system change, we would love to hear from you.
Our research relies on strong partnerships with practitioners, organisations and those with lived experience of out-of-home care. If you would like be involved, please read more about our latest research project.
We believe in the common saying, “none of us is as smart as all of us”. If you are a carer, practitioner, policy maker or researcher with knowledge to share, we would love to hear from you.
