The state government will establish four so-called "Lookout" education support centres to help children in out-of-home care to attain an education.

Staff at the centres will help about 6000 children and youths in out-of-home care, which includes foster and residential care.

The government will spend $13.2 million over four years on the centres in addition to $4.8 million "ongoing" starting from 2019-20.

Families and Children Minister Jenny Mikakos said the centres would help bridge the gaps in Victoria's education and care systems that had "contributed to vulnerable young people being denied access to a consistent, high quality education".

Each centre will have a principal, teachers and health professionals such as social workers and psychiatrists.

They will support schools to help children in care to complete their education.

Children are placed in out-of-home care when they are unable to live safely with their own families.

Staff at the centres will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating students' performance at primary and secondary school, setting education targets and helping carers.

The government expects the centres will be rolled out in 2016 and 2017.

The commitment to build the centres comes after a damning report released this year found that children living in residential care were highly vulnerable to sexual abuse.

The report by the Commissioner for Children and Young People Bernie Geary found the system supposed to protect these young people had let them down.

Mr Geary revealed there had been 120 reports of sexual assaults of young people living in residential care in the 10 weeks leading up to mid August this year.

Monash University Associate Professor Philip Mendes said children placed in residential care were more likely to struggle at school. "It's a very disadvantaged group," he said.

Professor Mendes said experiences of abuse and neglect could also contribute to long-term developmental delays.

A research paper co-written by Professor Mendes said young people leaving care tended to spend fewer years at school and faced "major barriers" in higher education.

He said the parents of children placed in care had often had little education themselves.

Professor Mendes added that schooling for children placed in care could also suffer because of the instability caused by moving from one place to another.