As we come to the end of another year that has been as busy and as challenging as ever, Rachael and I – and all those involved in the development of the Journal – would like to wish our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to come. We have been fortunate to have Cambridge University Press staff supporting the production of the Journal which is about to move to the ScholarOne system and will be more widely available over the coming years via databases. There will be more news on this in our March issue of 2015. We would also like to thank our editorial consultants, in particular, for the advice and support they offer, and to those who have proposed Special Issues or responded to requests for manuscripts on specific topics.

Young people leaving state out-of-home care are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young Australians, and a substantial proportion experience mental health issues. This article reviews the literature relating to the mental health of care leavers, highlighting the gaps in the current Australian research base. Available studies indicate that mental health issues may worsen during the transition from care, yet mental and emotional health may also be neglected during this stressful period. Furthermore, care leavers with mental health issues are highly vulnerable to poor post-care outcomes, particularly homelessness. Implications for policy and research are discussed.

The provision of therapeutic residential care offers opportunities for traumatised children and young people to build relationships through establishing a safe and nurturing environment that can facilitate healthy recovery. For the Aboriginal child and young person demonstrating symptoms of trauma, cultural connections have been severed, relationships broken and there can be an overwhelming sense of abandonment. Aboriginal children's experiences of trauma go beyond the individualistic or familial and incorporate pervasive intergenerational trauma. This means that healing for Aboriginal children requires a therapeutic response embedded within an Aboriginal cultural framework. This paper presents the approach undertaken by an Aboriginal community organisation in developing a therapeutic residential care programme for Aboriginal children in their care. The model developed has implications for all therapeutic care programmes.

Central to the success of therapeutic foster care (TFC) is the quality and stability of the relationship between the child and carer. This key relationship may, from a therapeutic perspective, facilitate healing by addressing the impact of complex developmental trauma experienced by the child who has been placed in care. Stability of the carer–child relationship is critical in this context. Therapeutic carers have been shown to be significantly more likely to remain in the role of carer than their counterparts in mainstream foster care. The research reported on in this paper draws upon findings from an evaluation of a TFC programme and gives voice to the Circle Carers, presenting the components of TFC which are important to them. The paper commences with the story of Ruby in TFC as told by a carer. The focus then becomes a detailed exploration of the experience of carers and their capacity to care. Implications for practice are identified.

This paper provides a snapshot of early work undertaken to develop a trauma-informed complex case management and therapeutic practice model for kinship and foster care within a family and community services agency. The approach taken has initially involved supporting case workers and carers and working towards organisational cultural change. The shift in focus described arose from a concern that stability and healing goals were not well supported within the existing programmatic framework and practice approaches. Purposeful integration of theory with practice has been central to the change process. There is a clear rationale that working from a strong evidence base can create better outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care. The paper reflects on work in progress. Action taken to date has educated the workforce around trauma-informed responses, developed clear protocols and a set of practice tools. This has embedded a strong foundation for further development as resources become available.

Kinship-care placements in Australia are now more prevalent than foster care and are the fastest growing form of out-of-home care in this country (AIHW, 2014). On 30 June 2013, 93% of Australian children in out-of-home care were in home-based care, with 43% of these in foster care and 48% in relative/kinship care (AIHW, 2014). The past decade has seen a greater understanding of children's needs in out-of-home care, with models of therapeutic care showing promise in Australia and internationally. These models, however, are designed almost exclusively for children placed in foster care or residential care, and as such do not consider the unique features of kinship care. This paper will identify the needs of children in out-of-home care, before briefly examining the concepts of therapeutic foster care as a response to children who have experienced trauma. Key distinctions between foster care and kinship care will be highlighted and implications for a conceptual model of therapeutic kinship care discussed.

The challenges to providing healthy and appropriate developmental experiences to vulnerable children in an institutionalised setting remain enormous. At Udayan Care orphanage, children arrive at our doorstep with unimaginable trauma. Udayan Care, a non-governmental organisation in India, has modelled its 13 Children's Homes and three Aftercare facilities on a holistic group care model; where small numbers of children are placed together in an apartment in a community to address their traumatic experiences and other life adversities within the context of this new environment. This paper details how, with limited funds, Udayan Care has been able to tackle the challenges of providing homes where children can undergo the slow process of healing, surrounded by supportive and dedicated professionals (carers) who do their best to meet their ongoing developmental needs. These carers work on obstacles affecting the children, concentrating their energies on aiding them in developing more secure and healthy attachments, adaptive emotional regulation skills, and capacities for resilience within the context of holding a vision for their futures. Our homes draw upon staff and the local community in unique ways to foster these developmental goals. This paper focuses especially on how issues of retention and lack of sufficient funds impact on recruiting lifetime volunteers (Mentor Parents), training volunteers and supporting them in their ongoing work. Additionally, this paper highlights ways in which we have addressed coping with these obstacles, through recruiting experts trained abroad to lead in-person and online workshops for our carers. These adjustments have led to better outcomes overall for the children we care for.

The adoption of the Sanctuary Model within Churches of Christ Care Pathways, an Australian non-government organisation in the child protection sector, has influenced a fundamental attitudinal shift towards enhanced wellbeing for clients, employees and carers alike. By drawing on the four pillars of Sanctuary, which incorporate theoretical and practical strategies, a safe environment can be created to heal trauma on an individual, organisational and community level, with the view towards a future of growth, change and resilience. The four pillars; Theory, SELF (Safety, Emotion Management, Loss and Future), the Seven Commitments and the Tools, support healing from trauma, and bring about organisational change. Examples from Pathways Residential Care and Fostering Services are used to illustrate the way in which the Sanctuary Model has enhanced safety within this out-of-home care community.

The Lighthouse Foundation provides long-term accommodation to young people aged 15–25 at risk of homelessness, through a therapeutic model of care. This paper will explore its application to young people with histories in the out-of-home care system and those who are leaving care, by focusing on a four-stage process of recovery and the unique experiences it raises for this population based on their history. Drawing on themes identified through our practice with vulnerable young people, it is proposed that key elements of the programme and process hold particular relevance to the long-term recovery of this population, including the provision of stable and consistent therapeutic residential workers, an integrated care team, and the capacity to work with the young person beyond his or her eighteenth birthday. (Please note, no specific examples of young people are provided, rather the article will present observed themes at the various stages of the Therapeutic Family Model of Care.)

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care are known to have poor educational outcomes compared to their non-care peers. Yet little is known about the experiences or needs of the small numbers of Australian care leavers who enter higher education. This article critically examines existing Australian and international research on the access of care leavers to higher education. A group of pre-care, in-care, transition from care and post-care factors are identified as either hindering or assisting care leavers to maximise their educational opportunities. Some specific policy and practice reforms are recommended to enhance opportunities for Australian care leavers to participate in and complete higher education.