CODE 1 Foster care only Carers who have been screened/authorised only for the purpose of having a foster child placed with them. Foster care is where the carer is authorised and reimbursed (or was offered but declined reimbursement) by the state/territory and supported by an approved agency. There are varying degrees of reimbursement made to foster carers. CODE 2 Relative/kinship care only Carers who have been screened/authorised only for the purpose of having relative(s)/kin placed with them. Relative/kinship care is 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 3 Both foster and relative/kinship care Carers who have been screened/authorised for the purpose of having foster children and relatives/kin placed with them. CODE 4 Provisionally approved Households that have received provisional authorisation (which may be in order to facilitate a placement), whilst formal approval/registration is being finalised. This code should only be used if the type of provisional authorisation is not recorded until the approval/registration process is finalised. CODE 5 Respite only Respite care is a form of out-of-home care that is used to provide short-term accommodation for children and young people where the intention is for the child to return to their prior place of residence. Respite placements include: Respite from birth family, where a child is placed in out-of-home care on a temporary basis for reasons other than child protection (e.g. the child’s parents are ill or unable to care for them on a temporary basis; or as a family support mechanism to prevent entry into full time care, as part of the reunification process, as a shared cared arrangement)
Respite from placement, where a child spends regular, short and agreed periods of time with another carer other than their primary carer. CODE 6 Long term guardianship Carers who have been screened/authorised only for the purpose of having a child placed with them under a permanent care order and/or other order where parental responsibility is transferred to a third party. CODE 99 Not stated/inadequately described Is used when the authorisation type is not recorded or is unknown. |