Foster Care Integrated Funding Model

1. Foster Care Integrated Funding Model Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies Conference 2012Children’s Rights: What’s Right for Children? What’s Right for Children, Young people and Families, 20-22 August, 2012 Anita Pell Berry Street Marilyn McHugh Social Policy Research Centre

2. Background New integrated funding model proposed. Features: clinical assessment therapeutic support based on levels of complexity covers carer costs – direct and indirect covers agency costs. Presentation Is an overview of the Model that is still in it developmental stage

3. Why the need for a ‘New’ Foster Care Model:Professionalised Foster Care (PFC) Specialist fostering programs (SFP) with therapeutic & treatment focus growing part of foster care services SFP carers provide more professional care & receive higher fostering rates Reports by KPMG (2009) & Cummins (2012) emphasise need for all children in OOHC to receive appropriate therapeutic care.

4. Training for Professionalised Foster Care Model Various countries have accredited carer training programs. UK has National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Australia has a nationally accredited scheme The Community Services Training Package CHC08: Foster Care Skill Set’ introduced in 2011. Berry Street currently developing a model and will use the CHC08 package

5. New Integrated Funding Model of Foster Care

6. New Integrated Funding Model of Foster Care

7. Carer payments for SFP Higher carer payments: what are they meant to cover? Ambiguous as to the costs higher carer payments cover. Higher levels of allowance in ‘excess’ of other levels. What ‘excess’ entails not quantified/examined to give $ amount. How ‘loadings’ on basic levels determined not clear. Do higher payments contain reward or compensation (?) Issue of higher payments needs clarification. Model ‘breaks down’ higher levels of payment.

8. Carer Allowances Model proposes 3 age groups 0-6 (pre-school age), 7-12 (primary school age) and 13+ (high school age) Allowances to be based on FCEs Allowance called Maintenance Allowance (MA) No loadings on MA for children with higher needs Carers receive carer fee based on level of need and level of training achieved

9. Carer Fee (CF) System- 4 levels of CF Level 1 Respite & Voluntary Care Level 11 Level 111 Carer fee levels have been proposed for Victoria Model suggests realistic income free tax threshold Australian Tax Office? Agency workforce ?

10. Agency Costs and Funding Requirements Cost Implications Current DHS Funding Model Practice Experience Proposed Change Features of the Funding Model

11. New Integrated Funding Model of Foster Care

12. Placement Support: Background Early Supports for ALL Placements • Stuck, Small and Ainsworth, 2000 • Smith et al., 2001 Multi Dimensional Needs • Nathanson and Tzioumi, 2007; McHugh and valentine, 2011 • KPMG, 2010: 14, 17 • Availability of Resources Carer Needs vs Carer Expectations

13. Placement Support: New Model Placement Support in the proposed Integrated Funding Model includes the following four components: Assessment on entry into care by a clinician; Therapeutic intervention, support and consultation; Education and support; and Connection to community/culture/key attachments.

14. Therapeutic Intervention, Support & Consultation

15. Education & Support Research Model Inclusions: • Access parity • ESP and Reviews • Maintain Relationships • Educational Consultant

16. Connection to Community, Culture & Key Attachments Role of the Carer Ordinary People.... Aboriginal Cultural Competence Plan

17. Component 3 – Placement & Support

18. Linking Carers Through the WWW – e-Quality

19. New Integrated Funding Model of Foster Care

20. Carer Training Foster Carer Skill Development

21. Carer Training Community Services Training Package – Foster Carer Skill Set

22. Conclusion Questions: Dr Marilyn McHugh Research Fellow Social Policy Research Centre University of New South Wales m.mchugh@unsw.edu.au Anita Pell Senior Manager, Statewide Home Based Care Berry Street apell@berrystreet.org.au