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 aim of this report was to examine the outcomes for Aboriginal children placed into out-of-home care (OOHC) in the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS). The study includes comparative analysis with non-Aboriginal children as a reference for stakeholders to provide insights into whether the OOHC system is providing an equivalent standard of care and outcomes for all children.