The Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women has announced a new program to help young adults leaving care find housing, education and employment in their bid to lead independent lives.
Launching the Next Steps Plus program, Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women, Di Farmer said it would build on the support currently given to young adults after they left statutory care and up to the age of 25.
It would help them to access a range of Government services and programs aimed at supporting them to achieve independence, along with individualised support.
Ms Farmer said there were more than 500 young people in care each year who turned 18, and supporting those young people with things like housing support, training and skills and help to find employment was a high priority.
“That’s why we amended the Child Protection Act to make sure that we start planning that transition to adulthood for every young person in care from the age of 15, and we keep supporting them after they leave care right up to the age of 25,” Ms Farmer said.
She said initiatives to support young adults to achieve independence had been developed across Government, including education and training, employment, and housing initiatives, along with additional financial support.
“We’ve extended carer allowances to the age of 19, which is one way we are supporting young people to transition to adulthood by making sure they can finish high school and not feel they have to do it all on their own from the moment they turn 18,” the Minister said.
Ms Farmer said the CREATE Foundation – funded by the Government to support young people after they leave care – was currently undertaking research to evaluate what kind of support young people needed to successfully transition to independence.
