Out-of-Home Care

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Effects on Children

“ By the time I was in Grade 3 I'd been to 14 schools. I had days off all the time, because Mum and I were always moving. Then I went into care. Then I went with Mum again. Then I went back into care. I finally had two years at one primary school, but I'd missed so much I didn't really understand any of it." - DeeJay, 16.

There is significant evidence to suggest that children in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) do not perform as well at school.

This can have a number of effects on children:

  • children may attention seek
  • children may become disruptive
  • a child's capacity to learn may be dramatically reduced
  • children may not recognise authority.

Teachers and school staff must not only be able to recognise these behaviours, but must also be able to understand the reasons why a child may be behaving in this way.

This section outlines how OOHC can affect the performance of children and the behaviours children in care commonly exhibit at school.