Proactive responses to aggressive behaviours in out-of-home care

Children and young people placed in out-of-home care often present with a range of complex and challenging behaviours that place significant stress on carers and other individuals involved in the placement process. The need for practical support, including the facilitation of knowledge sharing opportunities to better support carers and other health care professionals in assisting children and young people in out-of-home care, is of particular importance within the Australian context. This paper is the third in a series of four papers exploring a range of challenging behaviours that may be evidenced in children and young people placed in out-of-home care. The paper focuses on aggressive behaviours in children and adolescents and outlines a working framework to assist carers in responding appropriately to aggressive responses within the out-of-home care context.