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Out of Home Care

Non-family based out-of-home care

Every child deserves a safe, stable, and nurturing place to grow.

While it’s usually preferred to keep a child within a family unit, for some children that isn’t possible. Kanda’s out-of-home care services provide supportive, trauma-informed environments for children and young people who can’t live at home.

Our homes offer 24/7 support from qualified, compassionate staff to help create the consistency and safety every child needs to feel secure.

What is non-family based out-of-home care?

Non-family-based care provides temporary or longer-term accommodation for children and young people in the child protection system. This may include residential care, transitional care, or other non-family-based care arrangements.

Our goal is always to help each child feel safe, valued, and supported while working toward reunification with family or transition to independence.

Our care model focuses on:

  • Safety – physically and emotionally secure homes
  • Connection – positive relationships with carers and community
  • Growth – tailored support for education and emotional wellbeing

Our trauma-informed approach

Each child’s individualised care plan focuses on healing, wellbeing, and positive relationships, guided by trauma-informed principles. 

Our approach is grounded in the Sanctuary Model and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), frameworks that prioritise emotional safety, shared decision-making, and community connection. These approaches teach people how to cope with stress and prevent trauma symptoms so that we can better manage conflict and form healthy communities.  

Check more information of our Sanctuary Model of Care

A commitment to quality and safety

Quality care begins with trust. Kanda Children, Youth and Family Services is certified under the Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF), reflecting our commitment to excellence, safety, and continuous improvement.

This means we:

  • Adhere to best-practice child protection and trauma-informed guidelines
  • Maintain regular staff training across TCI, Hope and Healing, Sanctuary Model, Practice Essentials, and cultural responsiveness
  • Use continuous quality improvement systems to ensure services evolve with evidence and community feedback

We uphold the highest standards in every home, every shift, every day.

Non-family based out of home care services FAQs

Residential care is a type of out-of-home care for children and young people who cannot live safely with their families. They’re usually placed in a residential care because foster care is not appropriate or available at the time. Our non-family based care provides 24/7 support from qualified staff in a safe, stable and nurturing environment.

Non family based care is provided for children and young people on child protection orders and those referred by the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety or other state Child Protection departments. Each placement is assessed individually to ensure the environment and care model are right for their needs, culture, and safety.

Placements are made through referrals from the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety and relevant partner agencies. When we receive a referral, we review the child’s background, care needs, and any risks to ensure we can provide the right support.

Once accepted, our team works closely with the department, the child, and their family (where appropriate) to create a care plan that focuses on safety, emotional wellbeing, and stability. These plans are reviewed regularly to make sure the goals of the plan are being achieved.

Education is a vital part of every care plan. We help children and young people stay engaged in school or training. We also make sure life skills development such as cooking, budgeting, hygiene, and daily routines are built into the plan.

We know that connection to family, culture, and community strengthens identity and healing. Whenever it’s safe and in the child’s and young person’s best interests, we encourage contact with family and significant others where appropriate.

Connection to culture is important in helping children and young people feel a sense of wellbeing and safety. Our out-of-home services are committed to building a culturally inclusive service that respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other cultural identities, values, and connection to land, family, and community.

A crisis or emergency placement provides immediate and short-term accommodation for a child or young person who cannot remain at home because of safety concerns or unexpected changes.

These transitional care homes are staffed around the clock and offer a calm, trauma-informed environment where they can feel secure while longer-term options are arranged.

These placements are made through referrals from the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety and relevant partner agencies.

The length of stay varies depending on their situation and care goals. Some stay for a few weeks in emergency or transitional care while their families get support and interventions. Others may remain longer while a stable family or independent living arrangement is developed.

Throughout, we focus on continuity and stability, so each child and young person experiences consistent care and relationships.

Our difference lies in our practice framework and people. We offer trauma-informed care guided by the Sanctuary Model and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI). Our qualified, culturally responsive teams are trained in Hope and Healing, Practice Essentials, and continuous professional development. Our HSQF-certification evidences that we have quality and safety systems, ensuring accountability and excellence.

In addition, we have our multi-disciplinary High Risk and Complex Needs panel that addresses the needs of children and young people placed in out-of-home care. Ultimately, our goal is to genuinely focus on healing, belonging, and long-term outcomes, not just crisis response.

Kanda provides out-of-home care programs across regions in Queensland, in partnership with the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety and other relevant partner agencies. We provide services in Mareeba, Cairns, Townsville, Emerald, Mackay, Bowen, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, Gympie, Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Beenleigh, Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Toowoomba.

Transitions are carefully planned and never rushed. When a child or young person is ready to move on, either to a family placement, foster home or independent living, our team provides transitional care and aftercare support through our STEADYSteps program.

Prior to transition, we ensure the child and young person are connected with the appropriate services to support a positive outcome.

Make a Referral

Placements are made through referrals from the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety and relevant partner agencies. When we receive a referral, we thoroughly review the child and young person’s background, care needs, and any risks to ensure we can provide the right support.

Contact our CYF team