Out-of-Home Care

Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) is a living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live in their family home. Up to 4000 Victorian children live in OOHC at any one time.

The Department requires schools to develop an Individual Education Plan, supported by a Student Support Group, for every student in OOHC.

The following resources should be used to support the teaching of children and young people in OOHC. The information complements Partnering Agreement: Out-of-Home Care Education Commitment (PDF - 1,019Kb)

For information about OOHC, see the following sections:

• What is Out-of-Home Care? – the different types of OOHC, how children come into care and the legal orders used
• Educational Needs Assessment (PDF - 449Kb) – guide for Victorian government schools
• Individual Education Plans – aims, who should attend, how it should operate and a sample meeting record to download
• Learning Mentors – training information
• Student Support Groups – aims, requirements, sample plan and guidelines to download
• Teacher's Role – teaching and learning strategies, mentoring, building relationships and the curriculum
• Effects on Children – inappropriate behaviour, performance at school, knowledge gaps and coping strategies
• Resources – Department support documents and links to health, care and wellbeing organisation websites
• Contacts – Department, regional wellbeing managers and regional Partnering Agreement contacts.

Homelessness

Education makes a significant contribution to the development and wellbeing of all children and young people as well as their future access to employment and life opportunities.

The Department is working in partnership with other government departments and community service organisations to strengthen educational support for children, young people and their families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Guidelines for schools

Guidelines have been developed primarily for all primary and secondary schools across Victoria to improve the wellbeing, educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Specifically, the guidelines assist schools to:

• understand more about homelessness, how and why it occurs and the impact it has on the lives of children, young people and their families
• identify actions that schools can take to improve outcomes for children and young people affected by homelessness, and the principles that underpin these actions
• learn about what others are doing to improve wellbeing, educational experiences and outcomes for children and young people affected by homelessness, especially where these activities involve good practices
• identify key contacts and resources that will enable schools to more effectively identify, engage and support children, young people and their families who are affected by homelessness.

For a copy of the guidelines, see: Supporting Children, Young People and their Families Affected by Homelessness – Guidelines for Victorian Schools (PDF - 3.3Mb)