National Collective submission: Safe and Supported

The National Foster and Kinship Care Collective (the National Collective) recently submitted their response to the consultation on the “Second Action Plan of Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children”.

The National Collective, which CFKC is a member of, was formed to ensure that the voices of foster and kinship carers are heard and their rights are upheld.

The Collective believes the Second Action Plan should include a specific commitment to reducing the number of children in residential care, with reduction targets set by state and territory governments. Supporting carers needs to be considered in this context.

To improve outcomes for children and young people and reducing reliance on residential care, investment in foster, kinship and informal carers must be recognised as a critical part of the solution. The National Collective has suggested in our submission that the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) recent “Review of payments for foster, kinship and permanent carers” would be a great place to start.

You can read the National Collective submission here.