An evaluation of a trial of looking after children in the state of Victoria,Australia

The paper details the experience of implementing Looking After Children (LAC) in the out of home care system in the state of Victoria, Australia. Findings from an evaluation of the pilot project are also reported. These include observed changes in child outcomes and improvements in collaboration between different sectors of the child and family support system after implementation of LAC, as well as carer and child perceptions of the Assessment and Action Records. Findings suggest an improvement in the monitoring of children's developmental progress and developmental gains for some children after implementation. Perceptions of the Records were also generally positive. However, very few people in children's personal networks, including members of a child's family of origin took part in the assessment process. Carer reports also suggested difficulty in intersectoral working.