Every child deserves to feel safe, connected and supported, especially children placed with relatives or close family friends after trauma.
Kinship care is the preferred option for children who cannot safely live with their parents. It involves care provided by relatives or trusted members of a child’s existing support network, either through a formal child protection arrangement or an informal family agreement.
Today, kinship care is the dominant form of out-of-home care in Victoria, accounting for around 77% of placements statewide. As the number of children entering kinship care continues to grow, the need for stronger, more consistent support for carers has become increasingly urgent.
That’s why Lighthouse Foundation is partnering with Monash University and the Jack Brockhoff Foundation on a major three-year research project focused on improving outcomes for children and families in kinship care.
The Quiet Crisis in Victorian Kinship Care
Kinship care has quietly become the backbone of Victoria’s child protection system, yet many of the families carrying this responsibility are doing so with limited support.
When children can no longer safely live with their parents, kinship care allows them to stay with relatives or trusted family friends instead of entering foster or residential care. Research consistently shows these arrangements help children maintain important relationships, cultural identity and a sense of belonging during periods of trauma and instability.
But while kinship care is now the most common form of out-of-home care in Victoria, support systems for carers have not kept pace with growing demand.
Kinship care now accounts for 77% of Victoria’s out-of-home care placements
Kinship care is the fastest-growing form of out-of-home care in Victoria and now accounts for 77% of all placements across the state.
More than 4,200 kinship households across Victoria are caring for vulnerable children and young people, often stepping in during moments of acute family crisis. Unlike foster care, these arrangements are built on existing relationships and shared history, helping children stay connected to family, culture, community and identity.
Research shows children in kinship care often experience greater placement stability, stronger relational continuity and improved emotional wellbeing compared to other forms of out-of-home care.
At Lighthouse Foundation, our Kinship Care and Family Support Program supports families through a therapeutic, trauma-informed model designed to strengthen placements and improve outcomes for children, carers and families. Through practical support, therapeutic case management, reflective practice and community connection, the program helps families navigate the realities of caring for children who have experienced complex trauma.
But support for kinship carers lags far behind foster care
Despite carrying responsibilities comparable to foster carers, many kinship carers in Victoria do not receive the same consistent access to case management, respite, training, therapeutic care or ongoing professional support.
Victoria’s kinship care system relies heavily on policy and funding arrangements rather than guaranteed support entitlements. In practice, access to support often depends on workforce capacity, regional service availability and local provider resources.
Independent reviews by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office and the Australian Institute of Family Studies have identified serious gaps in support consistency, oversight and placement stability. Delays in assessments, inconsistent service delivery and limited therapeutic support can place additional strain on carers and increase risks for children already experiencing trauma.
Without early intervention and sustained support, kinship placements are more likely to break down. When this happens, children can be moved into residential care settings, where they face higher risks of trauma, disengagement from education, homelessness and long-term disadvantage.
Research also shows kinship carers experience high levels of emotional fatigue, financial stress and psychological strain while navigating complex family dynamics and caring for children with significant trauma histories.
As kinship care continues to grow across Victoria, the gap is clear: supporting children means supporting the families who care for them.
The Lighthouse Model of Care: A Different Approach
At Lighthouse, we believe healing happens through a village of support.
Kinship carers play a vital role in helping children maintain family connection, stability and belonging after trauma. Our role is to walk alongside those carers and ensure they are not doing it alone.
Lighthouse’s Kinship Care and Family Support Program supports children and young people aged 0-18, along with the families caring for them. Our model combines therapeutic care, practical support and community connection to create a stable, nurturing environment for both children and carers.
At the heart of our model is the Hub Home
At the centre of Lighthouse’s program is the Hub Home: a place of connection, support and community for children, young people and carers.
The Hub Home provides a welcoming space where families can gather, build relationships and access support. Through social activities, shared learning and peer connection, carers are able to reflect, learn from one another and build a broader circle of support around each young person.
Therapeutic Case Managers also meet regularly with carers, children and young people to support areas such as family visits, education, health and wellbeing appointments, and day-to-day care coordination.
Therapeutic case managers, low caseloads, real relationships
One of the biggest challenges in kinship care is that families are often expected to navigate trauma, behavioural challenges, education systems and child protection processes with limited consistent support.
Lighthouse Foundation’s Family Support Program was designed to change that.
Every family in the program is paired with a dedicated Therapeutic Case Manager who holds a deliberately low caseload. This allows for intensive, relationship-based support tailored to the needs of each child, carer and family.
Rather than responding only when crises emerge, Therapeutic Case Managers work alongside families over time, building trust, strengthening relationships and helping carers feel supported before challenges escalate.
Research shows kinship placements are more stable when carers have access to consistent therapeutic and relational support. Lighthouse’s model of care bridges those gaps.
Our model recognises that healing happens through safe, consistent relationships.
To learn more, explore the Lighthouse Model of Care.
What we’ve achieved so far
In FY24/25, Lighthouse supported 31 children across 17 kinship care households.
Of those placements:
- 30% involved foster or kith carers
- 40% involved immediate family members such as siblings
- 20% involved extended family members such as aunts and uncles
10% involved a combination of immediate and extended family carers.
Why We’re Partnering with Monash University and the Brockhoff Foundation
Creating meaningful change in kinship care requires more than good intentions. It requires evidence, collaboration and long-term investment.
That’s why Lighthouse Foundation has partnered with Monash University and the Jack Brockhoff Foundation on a three-year research project focused on improving outcomes for children and families in kinship care.
Supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, the project will examine how therapeutic, trauma-informed support can improve child wellbeing and better support kinship carers caring for children with complex needs.
Importantly, this is not research designed to sit on a shelf.
The goal is to generate practical, independent evidence that can influence government policy, improve service design, strengthen funding approaches and help shape best-practice kinship care frameworks across Australia.
A three-year evaluation of what works in kinship care
The project combines two connected streams of work designed to better understand what helps children and families thrive in kinship care.
Monash University will lead a comprehensive research and evidence review examining how Lighthouse’s Family Support Program is implemented and experienced by children, carers and practitioners. The research will explore how therapeutic support, relational care and community connection, and placement stability, wellbeing and long-term outcomes for families.
Alongside this, Lighthouse Foundation will lead a complementary social impact evaluation focused on how the program supports healing from intergenerational trauma, strengthens relationships and builds connection to culture, family and community.
The evaluation will examine how therapeutic and reflective practice can influence belonging, emotional safety and relational repair across the entire care network, not only for children, but also for carers and families.
The project will include longitudinal and cross-sectional research design, comparative analysis, stakeholder consultation and lived-experience insights from kinship carers, children and sector partners. Findings will be shared publicly through reports, conferences, policy briefings and sector engagement activities to help inform future child welfare reform.
By combining academic research with a social impact assessment and frontline practice experience, the partnership aims to strengthen the evidence base for trauma-informed kinship care and build a stronger case for earlier, more effective support for vulnerable children and the families caring for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is kinship care in Victoria?
Kinship care is when a child who cannot safely live with their parents is cared for by relatives or close family friends. This can include grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, family friends, or other trusted adults already connected to the child.
Kinship care arrangements may be formal (supported through the child protection system) or informal, where families step in without statutory involvement or ongoing government support.
How is kinship care different from foster care?
The main difference is the relationship between the child and the carer.
In foster care, children are placed with approved carers who are not already known to them. In kinship care, children are cared for by someone they already have a relationship with — often a grandparent, sibling, extended family member, or trusted family friend.
Because of these existing relationships, kinship care can provide stronger relational continuity, cultural connection, and placement stability for children. Research shows children in kinship care often experience better continuity of relationships and identity than those in non-kin foster care or residential care.
However, despite caring for children with similar levels of trauma and complexity, kinship carers often receive less consistent support, training, respite, and therapeutic assistance than foster carers.
What support is available for kinship carers in Victoria?
Support for kinship carers in Victoria can include financial allowances, case management, training, therapeutic services, respite care, peer support, and advocacy services. However, access can vary depending on whether the arrangement is formal or informal, the region families live in, and local service capacity.
Victoria’s system relies heavily on policy and funding arrangements rather than legally guaranteed entitlements. While supports are expected as standard practice, they are not always delivered consistently across all placements.
Kinship Carers Victoria also provides peer support, information, advocacy, and resources for carers across the state.
Research and independent reviews have identified ongoing gaps in training, respite, therapeutic care, and placement support — particularly for carers supporting children with complex trauma needs.
What is Lighthouse’s Family Support Program?
Lighthouse Foundation’s Family Support Program is a therapeutic, trauma-informed kinship support program designed to help children and families build stability, connection, and healing.
The program supports kinship families caring for children with complex needs through dedicated therapeutic case managers, low caseloads, reflective practice, trauma-informed training, clinical support, and peer-to-peer community connection.
At the heart of the model is a community-based “hub home” — a welcoming space where families can access practical support, therapeutic engagement, respite, and connection with other carers and families.
The program is grounded in Lighthouse’s broader Model of Care, which combines trauma-informed practice, attachment theory, and relational care to support children, carers, and communities.
How can I support Lighthouse’s kinship care research?
There are several ways to support Lighthouse Foundation’s work to improve outcomes for children and families in kinship care.
You can:
- Donate to support therapeutic and community-based programs for kinship families
- Share awareness about the challenges facing kinship carers in Victoria
Partner with Lighthouse through philanthropy, research, or sector collaboration
- Advocate for stronger support systems and earlier intervention for vulnerable children
- Follow and share the findings from the Monash University and Brockhoff Foundation research partnership as they are released
The goal of the research is to build evidence that can strengthen kinship care systems, influence policy reform, and improve support for families caring for vulnerable children across Australia.
