Duty of Care

A Duty of Care is a duty to take reasonable care of a person. When working with young people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, "duty of care" recognises their vulnerability both as young people and as people who are homeless.

Here you will find information, resources and links on duty of care issues as they relate to young people, homelessness, legislative requirements and best practice standards.

Research

Duty of Care, harm reduction and young people in care, Rowan Fairbairn and David Murray, Youth Studies Australia, V. 23, N.2, 2004. This article provides useful discussion on duty of care issues in relation to young people in care and harm reduction.

Best Practice

In the final version of the site, you might find the following in this section:

• Best Practice examples of Duty of Care in youth homelessness services

Useful Links

Duty of Care, DHS, January 2000
http://www.chp.org.au/homepages_accr/items/174538-upload-00001.pdf

Working with Children Check
http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/workingwithchildren