19/06/2020

The Carer Recruitment and Retention Taskforce has had a busy first half of 2020. This includes finalising a new carer agreement template and implementing a standard approach to carer exit interviews.

At its most recent meeting, the taskforce discussed ways to enhance information sharing between NGO agencies and the Department for Child Protection (DCP), both at the time a child is placed with a carer and at other critical times throughout a placement. This project aims to support strong understanding within placements by providing carers with information about a child’s key life domains (eg health, education, self-care, identity and daily routines). As a first step, the taskforce is exploring ways to gather information from agencies about current information sharing processes and gaps.

The taskforce also heard about recent changes to the way care concerns are managed within DCP, and discussed other key priorities including:

  • identifying sector-wide strategies to increase the number of family-based carers
  • improving educational outcomes for children and young people in care
  • communicating and engaging with carers
  • responding to critical issues impacting carer retention
  • looking at requirements for carers to be approved for more than one kind of care.

Carer agreements

Taskforce members have now finalised and are using a new carer agreement template to provide a transparent record of carers’ training and support needs, placement preferences and the responsibilities of the carer and their support agency. Agreements are signed by the carer and their support worker and will also provide carers with the opportunity to discuss their involvement in the case planning process and participation as a member of the child’s care team.

Find out more about carer agreements.

Carer exit interviews

Online carer exit interviews went live late last year, aiming to capture and learn from the experiences of carers leaving the child protection system, and understand the common challenges they face.

The survey is designed to be part of carer support agencies’ existing exit processes. Carer support agencies and kinship care services receive survey results from their own carers. This is an important tool to help us retain more carers, by identifying opportunities to improve their overall experiences.

Find out more about exit interviews.

Minister discusses training and qualifications for carers

The Minister for Child Protection, Hon. Rachel Sanderson MP, attended the February taskforce meeting to discuss ongoing strategies for recruiting and retaining family-based carers.

The Minister shared her ideas on how to better use training opportunities to support carers and build on their mandatory courses to achieve formal qualifications. She discussed the concept of micro-credentialing, where carers could access short modules of training and gain specific skills related to their caring roles. When combined, these micro-credentials could lead to a recognised qualification, such as a certificate or diploma.

Minister for Child Protection standing with taskforce members.