The Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) is the largest prospective study into out-of-home care (OOHC) care ever conducted in Australia. Funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS), the project has been designed over a number of years through a process of collaboration and consultation between FACS, the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), Chapin Hall Chicago and academic researchers from both the Universities of Sydney, NSW and Adelaide. The data for the research have been collected by the professional
research company, I-view Social Research.

This report is based on data drawn from the Wave 1 cohort. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the differences between relative/kinship care and foster care. Analyses involve comparisons of different types of relative/kinship care such as the difference between grandparent and other relative carers, as well as between grandparents who are, or are not, raising their own children.