The Children and Community Services Act 2004 has provisions to support young people leaving the CEO's care.
Ensuring young people are adequately prepared and that supports are in place well before they become independent is critical to long term positive outcomes. The young person plays a central role in the development and implementation of their leaving care plan, and their input must be sought.
In preparing for transitioning to adulthood, young people and their case workers will need to consider things like:
- where they will live and what help they can get to set up their own home
- whether they want to study at TAFE or university, do an apprenticeship or get a job
- what life skills they’ll need
- what supports they'll need
- where they can get ongoing support once they’ve left care.
All of these things, and more, should be part of the planning for leaving care. If the young person is in a care arrangement with a community services organisation, the planning should occur collaboratively between the carer, case worker and agency staff.
The Department’s three phased model for leaving care provides support to young people transitioning from care at the key stages of preparation, transition and aftercare.
Child History file
When young people are leaving care, or have left care, they can access any personal information held by the Department on their Child History file, which contains:
- their birth certificate and/or information to the extent that such information is available
- their passport, where applicable
- any school report or other report relating to their education
- photograph(s) of themselves (excluding photographs that depict harm or are of a forensic nature)
- any other document or material relating to them that is prescribed, or of a class prescribed, in the regulations
- a copy of their Care Plan or Provisional Care Plan and any changes to it
- information about their health, including a copy of any medical records or immunisation records
- information about their cultural, ethnic, religious and family background to the extent that such information is available
- any other information considered by the Chief Executive Officer to be relevant to them.
Preparation for leaving and after care services
The Department funds three Community Sector organisations to prepare young people, from the age of 15 to 17, to transition from care. As well as preparing them to leave care, they also provide them with after-care support services from 18 to 25.
In addition to the support provided by Leaving Care Services, young people who have left care can seek aftercare assistance from the Department. Young people may approach any Departmental District office for assistance, at any time, until they reach 25 years of age. Young people do not need to go to the district office that case managed them when they were in care.
Access to information (case files/records)
If you are, or have been in the care of the Department of Communities (formerly the Department of Child Protection and Family Support), you have the right to get information about your time in care. Information written about you in your case file is called a record. Records can include information about your childhood, your family, why you were in care, your foster carer and other matters connected to your time in care.
See the Freedom of Information page for more information.
Useful resources
More information on leaving care supports is available through the Department’s Casework Practice Manual.
