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Voluntary Out-of-Home Care
On 24 January 2010, the Government introduced legislation to better safeguard the interests of children and young people in voluntary out-of-home care (VOOHC), many of whom have disabilities.
The legislation is designed to improve the consistency and quality of intake, assessment, case planning and interagency coordination for children and young people using VOOHC and their families.
The principle provisions of the VOOHC legislation are:
sections 135, 135C and 156-156A of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (“the Act”); and
clauses 40C-40V and Schedules 4 and 5 of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Regulation 2012 (“the Regulation”)
The Act and Regulation can be accessed via the NSW Legislation website
On 7 February 2011, the Children's Guardian launched the on-line VOOHC Register.
Agencies that provide, arrange or supervise VOOHC will have secure access to the on-line VOOHC Register. VOOHC agencies are required to enter information about placements for all children and young people using VOOHC, and, where applicable, case plans and supervision arrangements.
Parents who want to locate a VOOHC agency can use the VOOHC Regional Maps page to find a list of agencies in their area.