Changing Patterns of Residential Care: A Report on the 1988 CIRI Survey of Children in Resident Care

PLACEMENT IN residential care continues to be an option for children who need substitute care. However, the number of children involved at any time is often uncertain, as a result of the diversity of agencies, government and nongovernment, that provide these services. The Children in Residential Institutions Program (CIRI) within the Special Education Program of the Department of Education, Employment and Training provides a unique means for identifying the number of children in residential care in Australia at any time. A national census of children in residential care was conducted in association with the CIRI Program in 1983 and repeated and replicated in 1988 in New South Wales and Victoria. Results showed that there had been changes in the numbers and category of children requiring care over the study period. There were fewer large congregate‐style residences and more small units and family group homes. The study highlights the need for collection of accurate data about the number of children in residential care and the type of services that are provided.