CODE 1   Residential care

Where the placement is in a residential building whose purpose is to provide placements for children and where there are paid staff.

CODE 2   Family group home

Family group homes provide care to children in a departmentally or community sector agency provided home. These homes have live-in, non-salaried carers who are reimbursed and/or subsidised for the provision of care.

CODE 3   Relative(s)/kin who are reimbursed

Where the caregiver is a relative (other than parents), considered to be family or a close friend, or is a member of the child or young person's community (in accordance with their culture) who is reimbursed (or who has been offered but declined reimbursement) by the state/territory for the care of the child. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, a kinship carer may be another Indigenous person who is a member of their community, a compatible community or from the same language group.

CODE 4   Foster care

Where the caregiver is authorised and reimbursed (or was offered but declined reimbursement) by the state/territory for the care of the child and supported by an approved agency. There are varying degrees of reimbursement made to foster carers.

CODE 5   Other home based care (reimbursed)

Home-based care which does not fall into either of the categories 'Relative(s)/kin who are reimbursed' or 'Foster care'.

CODE 6   Relative(s)/kin who are not reimbursed

Where the caregiver is a relative (other than parents), considered to be family or a close friend, or is a member of the child or young person's community (in accordance with their culture) who is not reimbursed by the state/territory for the care of the child.

CODE 7   Independent living

Includes private board and lead tenant households.

CODE 8   Parents

A natural or substitute parent (spouse or natural parent, adoptive parent or spouse of an adoptive parent) who has an ongoing legal responsibility for the care and protection of a child.

CODE 9   Detention

Where the child was ordered by the court to reside for a specified time in a juvenile or adult correctional facility.

CODE 88   Other living arrangement

Includes living arrangements that do not fit into the above categories. This includes any placements made in disability services, psychiatric services, Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS), over-night child-care services, boarding schools, hospitals, hotels/motels and defence force. These living arrangements may have rostered and/or paid staff, and are generally not a home-like environment.

CODE 99  Not stated/inadequately described

Is used when the care arrangement in which a child lives is not recorded or is unknown.

The following codes from previous versions of this element are no longer in use:

CODE 11     Third-party parental responsibility care arrangement—foster carer
CODE 12    Third-party parental responsibility care arrangement—relative/kinship carer
CODE 13     Third-party parental responsibility care arrangement—other/unknown