Young people leaving care and protection: A report to the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme
by David Maunders, Max Liddell, Margaret Liddell and Sue Green

Executive summary

This research project was commissioned by the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme and carried out by a team working within the Centre for Youth Affairs Research and Development at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), in association with Monash University's Department of Social Work and Human Services and the Children's Welfare Association of Victoria.

Purpose and objectives

The purpose of the research was to describe the experiences of young people discharged from State care and to identify factors which assisted and impeded their transition to independent living. The research objectives were to:

• provide an overview of Australian Government youth policy as this relates to young people leaving care and protection arrangements;
• provide an overview of care and protection exit arrangements of Australian governments;
• identify the circumstances and needs of young people making the transition from State care; and
• identify mechanisms or initiatives which Australian governments could set in place to improve levels of support to young people making the transition from State care to independence, with a view to minimising their risk of becoming homeless.

In addressing the objectives, the research was required to examine assumptions of dependence and independence implicit in government policy, identify how the role of the family could be supported, and examine models of effective support to young people leaving care.

Methodology

Data from a wide range of sources was collected. The period of data collection was from February to September 1996. Some additional information in relation to policy changes, was received from States up to May 1997. A review of previous research in Australia and overseas was undertaken; legislation, policy and procedural documents were collected from the Australian Government as well as State and Territory governments; 19 focus groups and 24 individual service provider interviews with workers across Australia concerned with care and protection (involving a total of almost 200 people) were conducted; and 43 young people from five States and the Northern Territory who had left care were interviewed.

Young people leaving care

As of June 1995 there were 13,078 children on care and protection orders across Australia, the majority of whom (69%) were placed on guardianship orders which transfer legal responsibility for their welfare from their parents to the State. There are currently 2,643 15- to 17-year-olds across Australia who will be discharged at some time over the next three years, at age 18 or before.

Previous research indicates that young people leaving the care of the State will have a significantly harder time in making the transition to adulthood than other young Australians. In recent decades, young people in Australia have been remaining longer in the family home, and wage and salary earning (in full-time, career-track positions) is being deferred until completion of extended studies. They are not accepted as independent adults by the State in relation to income support until they are 21 or in some cases 25. Young people leaving State care, in contrast, are often required to live alone or with other young people in their mid to late teens, and lack an ongoing supportive base to continue and complete their education or go on to further training. Unlike their peers "leaving home", young people "leaving care" are deprived of the opportunity to return to their former accommodation if and when they need to. When young people who have been in care leave care, they are more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment, early parenthood, loneliness and despair.

Of the 43 young people interviewed for this study:

• 42% had been discharged from care before the age of 18 (17% of the male, 25% of the female and 42% of the indigenous young people interviewed);
• 57% had completed Year 10 or less and only 21% were completing or had completed Year 12;
• 64% were either unemployed or on sickness or supporting parent benefits;
• less than one quarter (22%) were living in a family setting or in independent rented accommodation (16%) when they were discharged. At the time of interview, almost half were living in independent rental accommodation while the numbers living in a family setting had decreased to less than 10%;
• when discharged, 35% were living in youth refuges and short- to medium-term supported accommodation programs or temporarily with friends;
• at the time of interview 13% were living in refuges, short- to medium-term supported accommodation, or temporarily with friends;
• half of the group reported having experienced a period of homelessness since leaving care;
• almost half reported having committed criminal offences since leaving care; and
• just over one-third of the young women had became pregnant or had a child soon after leaving care.

Commonwealth youth policy

Young people leaving the care of the State were found to fall between the policy safety nets of Australian governments particularly in the areas of income support, housing, education and training.

State legislative, policy and program provisions for young people leaving care

Standards and obligations

The research found that most State and Territory child and protection legislation lacks a legal obligation to provide for the ongoing welfare of young Australians for whom the State has assumed "parenting" responsibilities. Policy and procedural manuals guide the day-to-day practice of care and protection workers across Australia. These outline broad case-planning principles but pay scant attention to preparing young people for life after care and to ensuring options for ongoing support and assistance.

Standards are the other key vehicle for the establishment of policy and practice. All States and Territories have endorsed the National Baseline Standards for Out of Home Care. The standard concerning exit planning requires that: "each child/young person leaves the out of home care placement in a planned and supported manner to enable a successful and sustainable transition". The standards specify that young people leave in a planned way; have involvement in the decision; have a detailed post placement support (or after-care) plan; and leave with relevant documentation, possessions and life records.

New South Wales has undertaken further work to develop these standards; however, in other States and Territories there was little evidence to suggest that they were being systematically translated into the operational procedures and quality assurance standards needed for effective service provision. Around Australia, workers reported that young people were all too frequently being discharged before they were ready (often as young as 15 or 16), in an unplanned way and without secure accommodation.

Accommodation and support

The research found that the provision of accommodation by State and Territory governments cuts off abruptly once young people in care reach 18 years of age. Young people sometimes have to leave their placement "home" regardless of how long they have been living there and regardless of their readiness and personal maturity to cope with independent living. In the absence of transitional housing and financial support funded by care and protection departments, young people leaving care frequently exit into services designed for homeless young people, relying on the goodwill of friends or relatives or at worst boarding houses, bed and breakfast hostels, the streets and night shelters.

Most States have started to address the needs of high-risk adolescents in care through the provision of intensive support workers, although eligibility does not extend beyond the age of 18. However, such programs do not address the chronic lack of appropriate long-term placements for adolescents in the care of the State, an issue frequently identified by both government and non-government workers across Australia. Non-government services in Victoria and New South Wales have also taken the lead in funding after-care workers who could provide flexible and longer-term support. Some States had established or were in the process of establishing after-care programs. New South Wales has recently established a statewide After Care Resource Centre, casework services to young people leaving care and specialist regional support teams.

Guardianship and care issues

Themes which emerged from the review of State and Territory legislation, polices and practices and from interviews with workers in government and non-government services included lack of clarity about the role of State and Territory governments and how they define their responsibilities; an increasing complexity of legislation and practice; changing roles in the out-of-home care system; a focus on entry into care and lack of attention to exit; lack of responsibility for transition from care; problems caused by lack of coordination; and lack of attention to gender and cultural issues.

In addition, workers reported that Aboriginal young people are over-represented in the system, are often inappropriately placed and are allocated insufficient resources for support and preparation for leaving care. Leaving care is often a low priority and given few resources and this is even more evident in rural and remote areas. Case planning is often inadequate and standards of care too low. Funds for extended support are inconsistently applied. Many young people are no longer formally admitted to care, making it difficult for them to gain financial support. The closure of residential facilities was seen as leading to earlier discharge. Workers were concerned about the impact of practices on young people, and problems of worker morale arise when policies and resources are inadequate.

Factors influencing transition to independence

Independence was defined by the research team as having some sense of direction in life; having a good personal support network of family and/or friends; and having stable, continuing accommodation (excluding temporary accommodation with friends or services designed for the homeless). Based on the case study evidence, the research found that factors which assisted young people's transition from care to independence were:

• a stable, positive experience of care;
• resilience and belief in self;
• the availability of mentors or advocates;
• extended support provided by previous carers and workers and/or after-care support workers; and
• family contact while in care and at the time of transition from care, or re-established after leaving care.

An overriding issue seemed to be the opportunity to establish caring relationships. In regard to family contact, it was found that family assistance can often be more valuable if it is from extended family members, or at least from members who have not been involved in abuse or conflict.

Factors which were found to inhibit young people's transition from care to independence were:

• unresolved anger towards family members, workers or the "system";
• unsuitable and unstable placements and multiple changes of carers and workers;
• living in unstable accommodation at the time of discharge, which was frequently preceded by instability experienced in care (i.e. multiple placement, periods of homelessness);
• lack of long-term goals which commonly appeared to be related to a history of homelessness before the young person was subject to a care order;
• lack of sufficient income;
• contact with the juvenile justice system and imprisonment; and
• lack of preparation for leaving and lack of later contact with the care system.

Many of the factors which promoted independence clustered together and were not found in isolation from other factors; this also applied to factors inhibiting independence.

Effective models of support

The research found that effective models of support must take account of the need to provide a continuum of care for children so that they can make a graduated transition from care to increasing independence as they mature and grow. A general model including three components is proposed:

Preparation through:

• a high quality, stable system of care;
• improved case practice and planning; and
• a flexible support continuum which emphasises interdependence, i.e. the notion that well-functioning adults continue to receive support from others.

Transition through:

• assistance for young people to develop personal and social networks;
• provision of effective support and living skills programs;
• provision of essential and appropriate information to young people about their past, and their options for the future; and
• the involvement of suitable mentors.

After care offering:

• continuing access to support, resources and interest from care agencies.

It is acknowledged that in NSW, government and non-government agencies have already included many of the above components in their services.

Implications of the research findings

The implications of the research findings are that, in order to support the process of transition to independence and to minimise the risk of homelessness, Australian governments need to consider the following issues:

• the extension of the responsibility of State governments to provide after-care support for those who have passed through the care system at least until the age of 25;1
• the responsibility of States to negotiate with the Commonwealth to provide benefits for those who have been in care;
• the need for each State and Territory government to continuously review its practices, responsibilities and role as guardian to increase consistency;
• the provision of Commonwealth benefits at the full adult rate to young people living independently after being in care who are unemployed, studying or undertaking job skills training;
• the review of case planning and preparation for leaving care to reflect community standards of leaving home at an older age and to provide flexible options for support;
• the availability of continuing support and counselling services, until the age of 25, for those who have left care;
• the provision of programs with a range of delivery options to assist transition;
• the training of workers and caregivers to implement effective programs of transition from care;
• the maintenance of family links wherever possible and offering support to families as young people move to independence;
• the provision of basic personal items and furniture to young people leaving care to establish independent living;
• the provision of an opportunity for young people to gain access to files and documents regarding their time in care, with the support of workers to explain and interpret;
• the maintenance and storage of records;
• provision for educational and literacy needs;
• provision of affordable, appropriate and stable accommodation for those leaving care for independent living;
• the review of services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (TSI) young people leaving care, in collaboration with Aboriginal and TSI care agencies and communities to ensure that the Aboriginal placement principle works; and
• the review of transition arrangements for young women leaving care for independent living.

Conclusion

The research has established a clear need for exit policies and procedures to assist young people to make effective transitions to independent, and interdependent living. The reader will observe that there is a great deal of consistency in the issues and themes identified from different sources, from interviews with workers, interviews with young people, the literature and the team's own research analysis. The research team has not attempted to eliminate some repetition of issues through the report. Rather, it is valued for the greater confidence it gives in the accuracy of the findings reported here.

(End of executive summary)
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