Leading the Way
Supporting Young People Leaving Out of Home Care
We are proud to have had the opportunity to lead the Homestretch WA trial with WA Department of Communities and Yorganop Aboriginal Corporation.
This was a unique opportunity to design, develop and test a model for an extension of out-of-home care for young people aged 18-21.
The Homestretch initiative involved collaboration with many stakeholders, including young people, carers and community service organisations.
It provided an exemplar of the benefits of youth participation in governance and decision making, a commitment to power sharing with the community services sector, and an ongoing dialogue between young people as service users and the future systems that will support them.
Key Elements of the Home Stretch WA Model:
- Transition Coach: A consistent youth worker who provides flexible, one-to-one support focused on coaching towards independence. The coach helps build self-reliance, skills, capacity, and connection to community, culture, and country.
- A Smooth Transition: Working with young people and their support circle from the age of 17.5 years to ensure a seamless continuation of support until the age of 21. Young people are made aware of their rights and can access support independently until the age of 25.
- Invest in Me Fund: Provides a financial safety net for resources to support young people's aspirations and goals or for crisis relief. This funding is administered through the coaching relationship.
- Staying On Agreement and Subsidy: Supports young people to continue living with a foster or family carer until the age of 21, including a fortnightly subsidy payment and support to the carer.
- Housing Allowance: Helps young people afford a broader range of living arrangements, with an emphasis on securing and maintaining safe and stable housing.
- Support Circles: Focuses on growing and maintaining an enduring network of personal, family, and community connections.
The Outcomes:
- Extended Support: Young people receive support until the age of 21, ensuring a smoother transition to adulthood.
- Personalised Coaching: Transition coaches provide one-to-one support, helping young people build self-reliance, skills, and connections.
- Financial Safety Net: The Invest in Me Fund offers financial resources for aspirations, goals, and crisis relief.
- Continued Living Arrangements: The Staying On Agreement and Subsidy supports young people to live with foster or family carers until 21.
- Housing Stability: Housing allowances help young people secure and maintain safe and stable living arrangements.
- Enduring Support Circles: Focus on growing and maintaining a network of personal, family, and community connections.
- Cultural Connection: Emphasis on connecting young people to community, culture, and country.
- Awareness and Independence: Young people are made aware of their rights and can access support independently until the age of 25.
The Home Stretch model has now funded and been scaled across Western Australia, with a community of practice among the various partners.
