Home Stretch WA – history and development

Home Stretch is a national campaign that has sought to drive change across Australia, introducing the right for young people to access high levels of support and resources til they reach the age of 21.

In 2018, the State Government committed to a trial of a Western Australian model of Home Stretch.

In 2019, Communities provided funding to Anglicare WA to manage a trial of the Home Stretch WA service model in the Fremantle child protection district.

On 6 January 2021, the WA Government announced a $37.2 million election commitment to make Home Stretch WA permanent across the State.

The Home Stretch WA Trial has been a highly collaborative project driven by the voices and expressed needs of young people, and in particular their experiences of ‘ageing out’ of the out of home care system at 18 and being forced into independence with significantly less support and resources than their peers.

Commissioned as a developmental platform rather than a ‘pilot before roll-out’, the Home Stretch WA Trial has brought together stakeholders from within and outside the child protection system to co-create the practice, policy and system adaptations that are needed to effectively extend supports from 18 to the age of 21 in the Western Australian context. 

Read the Home Stretch WA Trial Final Report.