The systems approach

The issues and barriers impacting upon successful transitions for young people leaving formal out of home care are well known, have been well researched and are uncontested.  There are numerous research papers, practice guides and state and territory initiatives that have explored the issues, made recommendations for action and been used to inform policy development and practice aimed at improving transitions from out of home care to independence.  The evidence points to the need for the system as a whole to respond to the needs of these young people and to work collaboratively across structural boundaries to engage effectively with them.  More effective engagement will support more young people being diverted from the most expensive pathways described by Morgan Disney and Associates (2006) and fewer becoming the survivors and strugglers described by Stein (2004).

Young people external to the care and protection system are most often supported by family members, significant others and/or the broader social system to transition to independence.  Young people in the out of home care system need to be similarly supported and have similar opportunities and experiences.  Support across the system that is responsive to the diversity, challenges and complexities characteristic of many of these individuals must be considered as a priority.

By taking a systems approach to the issue we can examine:

• what is working well within each component of the system, and explore options for strengthening or expanding these initiatives more broadly;
• where current supports, processes and initiatives are breaking down and what actions could be taken to improve outcomes;
• where innovation is occurring within the system and how innovation, including community capacity building and social enterprise, could be incorporated more broadly. 

Adopting a systems approach and conceptualising transitioning from out of home care to independence as a process comprising a series of phases along a continuum allows for an analysis of the roles, responsibilities and linkages that need to exist across different parts of the support system.  These include:

• the Commonwealth Government;
• state and territory governments;
• non-government organisations;
• the community;
• the business sector.  

This approach also enables some analysis of which young people are accessing what supports during what phase, acknowledging that not all young people in out of home care move through each of the phases described here.  This has implications for identifying what actions can be taken when, and by whom, to support young people transitioning from out of home care to independence.

Expanding the role of the business sector in supporting young people with a care experience is a key interest for a number of governments and non-government organisations.  Some within the business sector already provide support for programs and initiatives that assist young people transitioning from care to independence through financial assistance, pro bono activities of their staff and professional support to community organisations.

Mentoring programs, social enterprises, traineeships and cadetships, sponsorships for community-based programs and support for volunteers are some examples of partnerships with the business sector supporting young people transitioning from out of home care.  The School Business Community Partnership Brokers Program under the National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions is another example.  This program brokers partnerships between and among schools, business and industry, parents and families and community groups to support student engagement and improve education and transition outcomes.