The challenge
Too many children in the out-of-home care system remain in the system for too long and are often moving from one care arrangement to another. How can child protection assist families in keeping their children at home, and if this is not feasible how can another permanent (safe and loving) home be found for the children more quickly (aiming for at most two years in out of home care).
The research
Introduced in October 2017, the Permanency Support Program (PSP) aimed to reform the NSW child protection and out of home care system to identify the best permanency goal for a child and achieve this permanent outcome more quickly.
The PSP evaluation assessed how well PSP has worked, and whether the intended safety, permanency and wellbeing outcomes were achieved for children compared to the service delivery that was in place before PSP.
The impact
The large positive impacts intended by the program were not achieved, and an overhaul of PSP was recommended.
As indicated on the PSP website, the evaluation has informed the future direction of PSP as well as the broader out-of-home care reform agenda.
Our researchers
Melbourne Institute - Guyonne Kalb and Jordy Meekes.
Many other researchers were involved including those from Centre for Evidence and Implementation, Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia and Monash University.
Our partner
New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice