Regulator pauses major Mallee centre from taking on new foster children
A major foster care provider on the Victoria-NSW border has been barred from taking on new referrals to its foster care program, one year after the NSW regulator first demanded it improve its operations.
Mallee Family Care, a major foster care provider on the Victoria-NSW border, has been halted from accepting new foster children after NSW regulators imposed conditions on its operations. The NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (OCG) varied the centre's conditions, citing the need for it to improve its practices, particularly in child protection and care environments.
Mallee Family Care, which employs over 300 staff, can still operate its existing foster and home-based care programs but is prohibited from taking on new referrals until it submits a revised improvement plan by November 27. The regulator first requested the agency's compliance plan in September 2025, with a new deadline set for October 7.
Mallee Family Care must also review its policies and procedures for the NSW permanency support program, aligning them with the OCG's Code of Practice, and present them for assessment by the same date. If the agency fails to meet these conditions, the OCG could shorten or cancel its accreditation.
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