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Improving the health of Australian children entering out-of-home care

Graham V Vimpani, Susan M Webster and Meredith J Temple-Smith
Med J Aust 2012; 196 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/mja11.11411
Published online: 6 February 2012

Assessing health status is only the beginning

Decisions to remove children from their biological parents are never taken lightly. Such decisions are reinforced by the growing body of evidence of the adverse short- and long-term outcomes of child maltreatment,1 which are increasingly seen to be mediated through the effects of abuse on early brain development.


  • 1 NSW Ministry of Health, Sydney, NSW.
  • 2 General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC.


Correspondence: s.webster@unimelb.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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  • 2. Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; National Framework Implementation Group. An outline of national standards for out-of-home care. A priority project under the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2011. http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/families/pubs/nat_std_4_outofhomecare/Documents/PAC_national_standard.pdf (accessed Oct 2011).
  • 3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Child protection Australia 2009–10. Canberra: AIHW, 2011. (AIHW Cat. No. CWS 39; Child Welfare Series No. 51.) http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442475448 (accessed Oct 2011).
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  • 8. Vimpani G, Marshall J. Children in statutory out-of-home care in NSW: what do the case files tell us about their health status? Proceedings of Health, Hope and Resilience: Fostering Better Health for Australian Children and Young People in Out-of-home Care; 2010 Oct 18-19; Melbourne, Australia. http://www.gp.unimelb.edu.au/FosteringHealthSymposium/proceedings.html (accessed Oct 2011).
  • 9. Salmon B. Key systemic monitoring findings of the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian regarding the health needs of children in out-of-home care. Proceedings of Health, Hope and Resilience: Fostering Better Health for Australian Children and Young People in Out-of-home Care; 2010 Oct 18-19; Melbourne, Australia. http://www.gp.unimelb .edu.au/FosteringHealthSymposium/proceedings.html (accessed Oct 2011).
  • 10. Webster SM, Temple-Smith M. Children and young people in out-of-home care: are GPs ready and willing to provide comprehensive health assessments for this vulnerable group? Aust J Prim Health 2010; 16: 296-303.

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