VIC New Stability Rules and Time Limits for Children in Out of Home Care

Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Stability) Bill 2025

11 Mar 2026: Passed by Parliament and signed off by the governor.

This bill kicks in: TBA

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Assent

Share this bill

Email Facebook X Bluesky

Topics

child protection child welfare family reunification out of home care parental responsibility

Introduced by: The Hon Ben Carroll MP (ALP); The Hon Lizzie Blandthorn MLC (ALP)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

The best interests principles for children in need of protection now include the desirability of physical, cultural, and relational stability.
Case planning for children replaces the term 'permanency' with 'stability' and removes adoption from the hierarchy of options.
The maximum period for a family reunification order increases from 12 months to 24 months.
The Court must ensure a child is not in out of home care for more than 24 months total, unless it is in the child's best interests to allow an extra 12 months.
The Court may grant a family reunification order for up to 12 months for children who have already spent more than 24 months in care, provided it is in the child's best interests.
The Court can extend a family reunification order by up to 12 months if it is satisfied that doing so serves the child's best interests.
The Court must consider parental engagement with services and impediments to safe reunification when deciding on the length or extension of a reunification order.

The Debate

What different members said when this bill was debated:

Georgie Crozier LIB

“This is the second bill we are debating in the house today, the Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Stability) Bill 2025, which leads on fromthebillwehavejustfinished. I amnotgoing to repeatalotof what Isaid in theprevious debate. Ithink Imademypointsveryclearlyinthatdebatearoundtheissuesthatwerehighlightedmanyyears ago through the Cummins inquiry.”

Official source →

Sonja Terpstra ALP

“I rise to make a contribution on the Children,Youthand Families Amendment(Stability)Bill 2025.Iamjustgoingtoquicklygo through and summarise, in a nutshell, what this bill will do, but I will then get into a bit more detail as I go through some of the reforms.”

Official source →

Melina Bath NAT

“I am pleased to rise to make a contribution on the Children, Youth and Families Amendment(Stability) Bill 2025, noting it has been aday when I have been listeningquiteintentlyto debateon theprevious billin thesame vein and with thesame minister and listening to a very good contribution by Georgie Crozier, our shadow minister in this house responsible for children.”

Official source →

David Ettershank LCV

“I rise to make a contribution to the Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Stability) Bill 2025. The bill acquits recommendation 25 ofthe Yoorrookfor Justicereportthatthe Children,Youthand Families Act 2005beamendedtoallow the Children’s Court of Victoria to extend the timeframe of a family reunification order where it is in the child’s best interest to do so.”

Official source →

Lizzie Blandthorn ALP

“Today we are enacting two significant pieces of child protection legislative reform.”

Official source →