Child protection systems in Australia and elsewhere are increasingly concerned about the safety and wellbeing of children and young people during time spent away from out-of-home care (OOHC) placements without permission from workers or carers. A scoping review was conducted to identify the characteristics of children and young people who ‘self-place,’ the reasons for time away, and their needs and experiences during such periods. The review covered international academic and grey literature in English published between 2013–2023, including 24 peer-reviewed studies and seven grey literature reports.
Findings reveal that young people often spend unauthorised time away from placements to seek safety, stability, connection, belonging, and autonomy—needs they believe are often compromised during time in care. Spending time away is frequently a strategy to meet these needs and can represent resistance to a system that exerts control over their lives. The review underscores the importance of improving experiences in care to reduce the felt need to leave, ensuring consistent services while away, and advancing youth-informed research to better understand these experiences.
