SSRC allows children and young people to receive care outside their home when families require additional support. It is an arrangement between a parent and an organisation for a child to receive care 3 or more nights in any 7-day period. The care must be for respite or behaviour support or funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
SSRC can include emergency placements, regular respite arrangements, longer-term care, behaviour support programs, and some NDIS-funded overnight supports.
We monitor providers of specialised substitute residential care to help ensure children are safe and supported while receiving care. Providers must comply with the Child Safe Scheme and the SSRC Code of Practice.
What is Specialised Substitute Residential Care (SSRC)?
SSRC allows children and young people to receive care outside their home when families require additional support. It is an arrangement between a parent and an organisation for a child to receive care 3 or more nights in any 7-day period. The care must be for respite or behaviour support or funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Care arrangements may be:
- stays of 3 or more nights within a 7-day period in a group home, respite, hotel or Airbnb environment
- short-term accommodation through the NDIS
- overnight stays of 3 or more nights with another family in a 'host family' arrangement
- longer-term residential care
- residential programs to support behaviour change, such as alcohol and other drug rehabilitation programs
- camps of 3 or more nights that focus on respite or behaviour support or are funded by the NDIS.
SSRC can be a one-off arrangement made in an emergency or involve frequent or long-term care and is different from statutory out-of-home care.
When a child stays in overnight care for one or more nights, the organisation or sole trader providing the care must record it on the SSRC Register. This is because the Register calculates the total days the child has been in SSRC care with any provider, so that children don’t remain in care for long periods without oversight.
Types of care
SSRC covers a range of care arrangements designed to support children, young people and families.
Respite care
Regular or occasional overnight care that provides families with support and a break from their caring responsibilities.
Emergency care
Short-term overnight care arranged in response to an unexpected circumstance.
Behaviour support programs
Programs that provide overnight care as part of behaviour support services.
NDIS-funded overnight supports
Some overnight supports delivered through the National Disability Insurance Scheme may meet the definition of SSRC.
Longer-term care arrangements
Where overnight care is provided on an ongoing basis outside the family home.
Our role
We work to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people receiving specialised substitute residential care.
We:
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monitor providers of SSRC in NSW to ensure they are compliant with legislative requirements under the Child Safe Scheme
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maintain the SSRC Register
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promote implementation of the Child Safe Standards
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provide guidance and resources for providers
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provide resources and information for families.
Organisations providing specialised substitute residential care must also comply with a code of practice. This code of practice sets out minimum requirements for implementing the Child Safe Standards.
The Office of the Children's Guardian does no endorse or accredit organisations providing specialised substitute residential care.
Regulatory framework
Specialised substitute residential care is regulated under NSW legislation.
The regulatory framework includes:
Children's Guardian Act 2019
Provides the legislative basis for the Office of the Children's Guardian's oversight of SSRC providers.
Children's Guardian Regulation 2022
Sets out requirements relating to SSRC, including provider obligations and operation of the SSRC Register.
SSRC Code of Practice
Outlines the requirements set out in the Children’s Guardian Regulation 2022 that providers must meet to help ensure children are safe and receive appropriate care and support.
Child Safe requirements
All providers of specialised substitute residential care fall under the Child Safe Scheme. Being child safe means putting children's safety and wellbeing at the centre of everyday practice.
Providers must:
- implement the child safe standards
- complete the Child Safe Self-Assessment
- comply with the SSRC Code of Practice (PDF, 125.06KB)
- maintain records as required by legislation
- meet relevant reporting and compliance requirements.
Children and families should be able to expect that organisations providing overnight care:
- place child safety as their paramount priority
- listen to children and young people
- act on concerns
- have safe recruitment, supervision and governance practices
- continuously improve their child safe culture.
