This report calls for greater transparency in the operation of Tasmania’s out-of-home care system. The first edition of this report was released on 15 March 2023. At the time of release, the Commissioner noted that lengthy delays in obtaining permission to publish previously unpublished data from the data custodian (Communities Tasmania and subsequently the Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP), as well as unforeseen issues with the quality of the data, had required substantial time to resolve.

In acknowledging these issues and underlining her commitment to improve the transparency of Tasmania’s Out-of-Home Care system, the Commissioner stated her intention to update the report to include data for 2021-2022 period. This report delivers on that intent.

Key data insights include:

• There has been a continued decline in the number of children in out-of-home care in Tasmania. However, Tasmania continues to have the third highest rate of children in care among all Australian states and territories.
• The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Tasmania’s Out-of-Home Care system increased in 2021-2022.
• There remains no detailed data about the placement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care. 
• There remains a lack of detailed data about the number of children in care with disability. 
• Active foster care households continued to decline in 2021-2022.
• Government investment in the Out-of-Home Care system in Tasmania has continued to decline. 
• There remains a lack of data about the number of children and young people in care for whom individualised care planning has occurred. The number of visits by Child Safety Officers to children in care has further declined.