The Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) is funded and managed by the New South Wales Department of Family and Community Services (FACS). It is the first large scale prospective longitudinal study of children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia. Information on safety, permanency and wellbeing is being collected from various sources. The child developmental domains of interest are physical health, socio-emotional wellbeing and cognitive/learning ability.

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the factors that influence outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC). It aims to summarise research findings on which factors predict positive or negative outcomes and thereby inform policies and practices in order to increase the chances of positive outcomes for children and young people in OOHC.