Transitioning from Out Of Home Care to Independence – an integrated pathway

A summary of the essential components and outcomes of the transitioning from out of home care to independence pathway, informed by the research and modelled on a program logic approach, is at Attachment E.

Key actions

Attachment F outlines the key actions to be progressed as the first steps to improving the effectiveness of the transition from out of home care to independence for young people.  These actions focus on improving the preparation phase through the development of a nationally consistent approach to leaving care plans; and reviewing the Transition to Independent Living Allowance.

It is noted that additional actions may need to be considered for specific groups.  For example:

• those involved with juvenile justice;
• young people with disability;
• unaccompanied humanitarian arrivals;
• indigenous young people;
• young women;
• early care leavers, including those under legal school leaving age receiving income support.

1. The national rate of Indigenous children in out of home care was just over nine times the rate for other children.
2. A volatile pathway from care is described as indicating a problematic transition from care where the young person’s experiences in care and since leaving care are often chaotic, characterised by extreme instability and restricted housing opportunities.
3. The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) cited in Muir et al. (2009) found that just over half (55.3 percent) of young people aged 17.7 years were in Year 12 in 2009.
4. The National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS) was established in 1985 as a cooperative funding arrangement between the Australian, State and Territory Governments to facilitate nationally-based research into current social, political and economic factors affecting young people. The Scheme now operates under the auspices of the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA).
5. The authors of the AHURI Final Report, Pathways from Out of Home Care 2010 advocate for beginning the planning process earlier to help identify those at risk of leaving care unexpectedly, and also ameliorate some of the issues younger care leavers face.
6. It is important to note that the young person may still have the desire to be connected to their family members, even if family members are able to provide little, if any, practical and/or emotional support.