Children's satisfaction with out-of-home care in South Australia

Abstract

Two studies were undertaken to assess children's satisfaction with their current placement experiences in South Australian alternative care. A total of 99 children with a mean age of 11 years were interviewed while still in care. Over 80 per cent of children reported being satisfied with both their case-worker and their placement, although children in residential (group) care reported being less satisfied than their counterparts in foster care. Foster homes were generally considered secure, happy and supportive, and case-workers were considered helpful, caring and willing to listen. Comparisons of background characteristics, measures of adjustment and demographic characteristics suggested that the samples interviewed were highly representative of the population of children referred for placements during the study period.