The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) collates official data on child protection and carer household numbers Australia wide. AIHW data shows that while carer numbers have been declining in other jurisdictions, Victoria is an outlier in its decline rate with exponentially greater numbers exiting the system than commencing each year for the past 5 years. The latest AIHW report shows that Victoria suffered a net loss of 267 foster carer households. The FCAV carer snapshot also shows households leaving the system at more than double the rate of the sector's capacity to recruit new carers.

As the tables below demonstrate, Victoria is faring far worse than other states and territories in terms of carer decline. The FCAV's latest Carer Snapshot backs up these figures.

Table 1. AIHW reported carer data for Victoria year on year