Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-01T04:31:31.843Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Comparing caring: The Looking After Children system in Canada and Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Deirdre Cheers ,
Kathleen Kufeldt ,
Ross Klein  and
Scott Rideout
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Looking After Children (LAC) system is currently used in a number of countries world wide, providing increasing opportunities for international research collaboration. This paper describes early results of one such collaborative effort between Canada and Australia. The LAC system is a child-centred case management approach aimed at enhancing the developmental needs of children and young people in out-of-home care placements. LAC has the capacity to connect research, policy and practice. For research and practice LAC measures and enhances outcomes of care. Aggregation of data collected via the use of LAC allows policy makers to assess current practices in order to monitor and measure the extent to which intended program goals are achieved. LAC promotes and encourages collaboration in the care system, enhancing participation opportunities and partnerships between social workers, direct carers (foster parents and residential workers), parents, children and young people.

Type
Practice perspectives…
Information
Children Australia , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , 2007 , pp. 21 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altshuler, S. J. (1997) ‘A reveille for school social workers: Children in foster care need our help’, Social Work in Education. 19(2). 121–127.Google Scholar
Barnardos Australia. (2002) The UK Looking After Children System in Australia: Thoughts and experiences of Barnardos Australia LAC implementation, Monograph 47, http://WWW.barnardos.org.au Google Scholar
Berridge, D. & Cleaver, H. (1987) Foster home breakdown, Oxford: Basil Blackwell.Google Scholar
Cashmore, J. & Paxman, M. (1996) Wards leaving care: A longitudinal study, Social Policy Research Centre for NSW Department of Community Services, Sydney.Google Scholar
Cashmore, J. (2003) ‘Linking research, policy and practice: Including children’s input’, Children’s Issues, 7(2), 12–17.Google Scholar
Champion, R. & Burke, G. (2006) ‘Implementing Looking After Children as a collaborative practice and policy framework in Victoria, Australia’, in Flynn, R.J.. Dudding, P.M. & Barber, J.G. (Eds), Promoting resilience in child welfare, pp. 368–389, Ottawa, ON: University of Ontario Press.Google Scholar
Cheers, D. & Morwitzer, J. (2006) ‘Promoting resilient outcomes in Australia with the Looking After Children Electronic System (LACES)’, in Flynn, R.J., Dudding, P.M. & Barber, J.G. (Eds), Promoting resilience in child welfare, pp. 390–400. Ottawa, ON: University of Ontario Press.Google Scholar
Child Welfare League of America (2000) Factsheet: The health of children in out-of-home care, retrieved October 1, 2003, <http://www.cwla.org/programs/healtli/liealthcarecwfact.htm>..>Google Scholar
Clare, M. & Peerless, H. (1996) An evaluation study of the UK Looking After Children materials for the Out-of-Home, Preventative and Alternative Care Committee. Unpublished report. University of Western Australia.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (1997) ‘The UK Looking After Children Project: Fit for out-of-home care practice in Australia?’, Children Australia, 22(1), 29–35.Google Scholar
Clark, R. & Burke, G. (1998) Looking After Children: An evaluation of the Victorian pilot program, Children’s Welfare Association of Victoria Inc.Google Scholar
Clark, R. (1998) Whose children? A review of the substitute care program. Family Services Branch, ACT.Google Scholar
Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption and Dependent Care (2000) ‘Developmental issues for young children in foster care’. Pediatrics. 106(5), 1145–1150.Google Scholar
Delfabbro, P.H., Barber, J.G. & Cooper, L. (2002) ‘Children entering out of home care in South Australia: Baseline analysis for a three year longitudinal study’, Children and Youth Seivices Review, 24(12). 917–932.Google Scholar
Dicker, S., Gordon, E. & Knitzer, J. (2001) Improving the odds for the healthy development of young children in foster care. New York, NY: National Center for Children in Poverty, retrieved 24 March 2004, <http://www.nccp.org/media/pew02b_text.pdf>>Google Scholar
Dixon, D. (2001) ‘Looking After Children in Barnardos Australia: Managing children’s lives in out-of-home care’, Children Australia, 26(3), 27–32.Google Scholar
Flynn, R.J., Lemay, R., Ghazal, H. & Hébert, S. (2003) ‘PM3: A performance measurement, monitoring, and management system for child welfare organizations’, in Kufeldt, K. & McKenzie, B. (Eds), Child Welfare: Connecting research, policy and practice, pp. 319–330, Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press.Google Scholar
Flynn, R.J. & Byrne, B.A. (2005) ‘Overview and findings to date of research in the Ontario Looking After Children Project’, OACAS Journal, 49(1), 12–21.Google Scholar
Flynn, B., Lemay, R., Biro, C. (1998) Evaluating Child Welfare Outcomes (ECWO) Project, Newsletter, Fall (3), retrieved 20 July 2005, http://www.cecw-cepb.ca/DocsEng/ECWOFall1998.pdf Google Scholar
Jones, H. (2003) ‘The relationship between research, policy and practice in delivering an outcome-led child welfare service’, in Kufeldt, K. & McKenzie, B. (Eds), Child welfare: Connecting research, policy and practice, pp. 368–376, Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press.Google Scholar
Kufeldt, K. (2003) ‘Graduates of guardianship care: Outcomes in early adulthood’, in Kufeldt, K. & McKenzie, B. (Eds), Child welfare: Connecting research, policy and practice, pp. 209–216, Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press.Google Scholar
Kufeldt, K., Simard, M., Tite, R. & Vachon, J. (2003) ‘The Looking After Children in Canada Project: Educational outcomes’, in Kufeldt, K. & McKenzie, B. (Eds), Child welfare: Connecting research, policy and practice, pp. 177–189. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.Google Scholar
Kufeldt, K., Simard, M., Vachon, J., Baker, J. & Andrews, T. (2000) Looking After Children in Canada: Final report, Fredericton: University of New Brunswick.Google Scholar
Kufeldt, K., Clare, M., Cheers, D., Herczog, M. & Jones, H. (2002) Looking After Children World Wide, paper presented at 14th International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect, Denver Colorado USA, July 7–10.Google Scholar
Lemay, R. (2002) ‘Is Looking After Children just another ORAM or IFR?’, Ontario Looking After Children Newsletter, 2(1), retrieved 20 July 2005, <http://www.oacas.org/programs/lac/newsletters/vol2iss2.pdf>..>Google Scholar
Ministry of Children and Family Development (2005) ‘Summary of review of child’s death released’, News Release, retrieved 23 July 2005, <www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005–2009/2005CFD0012–000686.htm>..>Google Scholar
Parker, R., Ward, C., Jackson, S., Aldgate, J. & Wedge, P. (Eds.) (1991) Looking after children: Assessing outcomes in child care, London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Simms, M.D. (2000) The crisis in health care for America’s foster children, paper presented at Research Symposium on Child Well-being, 21–22 September University of Illinois, retrieved 20 August 2003, <http://www.igpa.uillinois.edu/events/confHighlights/pdf/simms.pdf>>Google Scholar
Ward, H., Macdonald, I., Pinnock, M. & Skuse, T. (2003) ‘Monitoring and improving outcomes for children in out-of-home care’, in Kufeldt, K. & McKenzie, B. (Eds.), Child welfare: Connecting research, policy and practice, pp. 167–176, Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.Google Scholar
Wise, S. (1999) The UK Looking After Children approach in Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Wise, S. (2003) ‘Using Looking After Children to create an Australian out-of-home care database’, Children Australia, 28(2), 38–44.Google Scholar