Centre for Relational Care Incorporated

The Centre for Relational Care Incorporated is an independent, not-for-profit advocacy organisation dedicated to fundamentally transforming the child protection and out-of-home care (OOHC) system in Australia. It focuses on shifting the current system from one dominated by bureaucracy and compliance to a Child Connection System that prioritises safe, stable, and enduring relationships for children in care. The organisation recognises that many children in OOHC experience relational deprivation, which harms their wellbeing and development.

Mission and Vision

The Centre’s mission is to ensure that all children impacted by out-of-home care experience safe, secure relationships with attuned adults who consistently support and advocate for them. Its vision is a care system where human connection replaces excessive paperwork and risk management, creating environments where children are truly known, loved, and held in connection. The Centre advocates for a system that is community-led, financially sustainable, and makes government intervention a last resort rather than the first response.

Main Objectives

• To radically reform child protection and OOHC by embedding relational care principles.
• To reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and compliance that detracts from relationship-building.
• To promote policies and practices that measure the quality of children’s relationships and lived experiences.
• To reframe risk assessment to include the dangers of relational deprivation.
• To support First Nations leadership and self-determination in caring for their children.
• To build a strong network of advocates, practitioners, families, and community groups committed to relational care.

Benefiting Groups

• Children in out-of-home care, especially those experiencing frequent placement changes or relational instability.
• Families and carers who seek to provide nurturing, consistent care.
• First Nations children and communities, who face disproportionate rates of removal and require culturally grounded care.
• Child protection workers and practitioners advocating for systemic change.
• Community organisations and advocates working to build networks of care and connection.

Types of Services and Activities

• Advocacy for systemic reform towards a Child Connection System that centres relationships over bureaucracy.
• Collaborative design dialogues and workshops with stakeholders to co-create practical solutions.
• Raising public awareness about the harms of relational deprivation and the benefits of relational care.
• Building partnerships with government, sector workers, and community groups to influence policy and practice.
• Supporting and amplifying First Nations-led approaches to child and family care.
• Providing a platform for voices of those impacted by the child protection system to be heard and included in reform efforts.