Health needs of regional <scp>A</scp>ustralian children in out‐of‐home care

Arora, Nitin; Kaltner, Melissa; Williams, Judy

doi:10.1111/jpc.12637

Cited by 17 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…eczema, abdominal pain, constipation and soiling) . The overall high prevalence of physical health problems is in line with other Australian studies of children in OOHC . Some of the somatic symptoms identified in the clinic may have had an underlying mental health aetiology, in line with previous studies that have shown increased somatic symptoms in children with exposure to trauma …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…It is unsurprising that mental health and developmental concerns generated the most recommendations for further assessment or treatment. The high rates of referral for mental health care, speech therapy and ongoing paediatric care are also similar to interstate Australian studies and add to the evidence that children in OOHC warrant both careful and timely identification of health needs and access to services.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

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Health needs and timeliness of assessment of Victorian children entering out‐of‐home care: An audit of a multidisciplinary assessment clinic

McLean

Little

Scott

et al. 2019

J Paediatrics Child Health

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Aim To describe the health needs identified in children attending a comprehensive health assessment at a tertiary hospital, multidisciplinary clinic for children following entry to out‐of‐home care and timeliness of referral and assessment compared with national recommendations. Methods This was a retrospective audit of all the children who attended the Pathway to Good Health clinic at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne from May 2013 until 31 August 2016. Results A total of 119 children aged 0–12 years attended the clinic during the audit period. Of these children, 17% (including more than 30% of 0–2‐year‐olds) were not up‐to‐date with immunisations, and 87% had physical health concerns that were addressed on the day or needed further management. Over 50% had mental health concerns identified (76% of 7–12‐year‐olds). In children aged 3–6 years, 64% had behavioural problems and 77% had developmental problems identified. Only a third of the children was referred to the Pathway to Good Health clinic within the national standard of 30 days post‐entry to care, and 24% of children attended within 3 months of entry to care. Conclusion Children in out‐of‐home care within Victoria have high rates of physical, mental and developmental health concerns, consistent with previous studies. Timeliness of attendance at the clinic was low compared with national recommendations, even within a programme designed to facilitate timely health checks. This is the second and largest Australian study exploring timeliness of health checks. Further research would establish whether these results are more systemic.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Health needs and timeliness of assessment of Victorian children entering out‐of‐home care: An audit of a multidisciplinary assessment clinic

McLean

Little

Scott

et al. 2019

J Paediatrics Child Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…With the exception of overdue immunisation, the rates of physical, developmental and mental health needs in children and adolescents in OOHC seen at VAHS are high, much higher than the general population of children in OOHC . Comparative samples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC are unavailable due to the paucity of research in this population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high rate of health needs is likely to be attributable to many factors, including: The neglect and/or abuse that was the primary reason for involvement of Child Protective Services and placement in OOHC Trauma related to removal from family. A lack of utilisation of regular health services, including lack of response to and/or follow‐up of health needs prior to and while in OOHC The nature of OOHC: Where multiple short placements often result in further attachment issues and trauma. Health and development issues being unnoticed by short‐term carers. The child being lost to follow‐up by individual services because of the placement instability …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out‐of‐home care

Shmerling

Creati

Belfrage

et al. 2019

J Paediatrics Child Health

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Aim Children in statutory out‐of‐home care (OOHC) are known to have poorer physical, developmental and mental health outcomes compared with their peers. The number of children in OOHC is increasing in Australia, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children disproportionately represented. To document the health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents in OOHC attending the paediatric service at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) between February 2014 and February 2016. Methods The electronic medical records of all patients in OOHC seen by a paediatrician at VAHS between February 2014 and February 2016 were audited. Demographic data, including age and type of OOHC placement, were recorded, as were their health needs. Results Of the 200 children seen by a paediatrician over this 2‐year period, 103 were identified as being in OOHC for all or some of this same period: 43 in foster care, 8 in residential care and 52 in kinship care. Of the 103 children, 35 were <6 years of age, 51 between 6 and 13 years and 17 between 13 and 18 years; 66% were identified as having mental health problems, 37% hearing problems, 34% vision problems, 40% dental caries and 46% developmental delay including 36% with speech delay. Conclusions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC seen by the paediatric service at VAHS have high rates of physical, developmental and psychological health needs. These data have significant potential to inform government policy and investment in effective models of care to better meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC.

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“…Surprisingly, none of the other health areas, including dental problems, showed any significant differences. In a second study of Australian youth in out‐of‐home care, 14% of youth 5 − 12 years of age needed referral to dental care and 12% needed optometry referral (Arora, Kaltner, & Williams, ). For youth over 12 years of age, rates were higher, with 20% needing dental referral and 13% needing vision referral.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of care coordination and out‐of‐home placement in youth dental and vision care visits

Lee

Cosgrove

2018

Int J Soc Welfare

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Care coordination has been proposed as an approach to promote access to services for youth with complex health and mental health needs. Youth with behavioral health needs are at increased risk of out‐of‐home placement, an experience which may also impact service utilization. Using a sample of administrative and public health insurance record data for youth with mental health needs, we assessed the relationships between care coordination and out‐of‐home placement on service utilization of dental and vision care. Findings suggest that placement is significantly associated with increased likelihood of accessing dental and vision care. The onset of care coordination is associated with a small but significant increase in vision care use. Regulatory and policy directives for out‐of‐home care providers in the USA may be facilitating access to dental and vision care services for youth in placement. Key Practitioner Message: • Youth in placement were more likely to have dental and vision care visits; • Onset of care coordination was not associated with increased dental and vision care.

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Health needs of regional Australian children in out‐of‐home care

Abstract: Children in care who live in a regional setting have similar health-care needs compared with urban children. Given restricted health services in regional settings, there is difficulty in accessing services to meet these needs.

Cited by 17 publications

References 5 publications

Health needs and timeliness of assessment of Victorian children entering out‐of‐home care: An audit of a multidisciplinary assessment clinic

Health needs and timeliness of assessment of Victorian children entering out‐of‐home care: An audit of a multidisciplinary assessment clinic

The health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out‐of‐home care

The role of care coordination and out‐of‐home placement in youth dental and vision care visits

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