51³Ô¹Ï

Investigators

Associate Professor Tim Moore, Dr Lottie Harris, Kelly Hand, Dr Steve Roche, Dr Vicky Saunders, Meena Gupta (Institute of Child Protection Studies, 51³Ô¹Ï)

Dr Jacynta Krakouer, Lynn Krakouer, Professor Leah Bromfield and Amanda Paton (Australian Centre for Child Protection)

Funding

Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP)

Aim

This project aims to develop a practical, evidence-informed framework to support the implementation of trauma-informed and therapeutic care across out-of-home care placement types in Tasmania, in line with (page 100) of the Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry.

Background

The Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings identified significant gaps in the out-of-home care system. The Commission found that OOHC primarily focused on placement and accommodation, with limited capacity to support children's recovery from trauma (Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry, 2023).

Recommendation 9.18 directed the Tasmanian Government to implement trauma-informed and therapeutic care frameworks across all out-of-home care placement types, including foster, kinship, and residential care. It required timely trauma assessment, access to evidence-based therapeutic support, and supporting workforce, funding, and accountability structures.

This project responds to that recommendation by developing a practical framework to support implementation in Tasmania. The framework focuses on the core components and program requirements needed to deliver therapeutic care consistently across placement types.

Project details

The Institute of Child Protection Studies and the Australian Centre for Child Protection delivered this project between March and June 2026.

The project used three overlapping phases:

• Project establishment: define scope, confirm expectations with the DECYP, and finalise the methodological approach
• Evidence gathering and analysis: draw on multiple sources, including a rapid evidence review, desktop reviews, analysis of children and young people's perspectives, review of existing therapeutic care models, jurisdictional comparisons, and expert interviews
• Synthesis and reporting: integrate findings to develop a framework - test emerging components with stakeholders and refine them based on feedback

The project team engaged with DECYP project leads, operations staff, the Uplifting Care Panel, the Aboriginal Reference Group, and a Youth Advisory Group to test clarity, feasibility, and cultural safety.

Projected community impact

This framework has clarified the outcomes sought for children and young people, the organisational capacities required, and the program-level requirements needed to deliver and monitor care across placement types. It will guide the implementation of trauma-informed and therapeutic care across out-of-home care.

Publications

Expected outputs include a research report, and journal articles.

Project timeline

March to June 2026

Links

Contact

For more information contact: icps@acu.edu.au