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Leaving Care and at Risk of Homelessness: The Lift Project

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2017

Mike Clare ,
Becky Anderson ,
Murielle Bodenham  and
Brenda Clare
Mike Clare*
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, Western Australia
Becky Anderson
Affiliation:
WA Department for Child Protection and Family Support, Midland District, Western Australia
Murielle Bodenham
Affiliation:
Indigo Junction (previously Swan Emergency Accommodation), Western Australia
Brenda Clare
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, Western Australia
*
address for correspondence: Mike Clare, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia. E-mail: mike.clare@uwa.edu.au
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Abstract

The paper reflects on developments in leaving care policy and practice in Western Australia (WA) and nationally from the mid-1990s. The review of national and some international literature suggests that current Australian policy and practice shows a ‘systems stuckness’ that requires a more potent form of annual auditing and reporting of jurisdictional leaving care outcomes. The review of mostly Australian publications focusing on leaving care and the risk of homelessness includes reflections on recent developments in leaving care services in England, which recognise and restore relationship-based services for care leavers. Finally, the history, vision and initial impact of the Living Independently for the First Time (LIFT) Project, a case study of learning by doing, is outlined. The authors and their colleagues from the Department for Child Protection and Family Support (Midland District), Swan Emergency Accommodation (now known as Indigo Junction) and the Housing Authority of WA have collaborated to design and develop the LIFT Project. This initially unfunded action-research strategy involves inter-agency policy and practice designed to prevent homelessness of vulnerable care leavers.

Keywords

Leaving care outcomesrisk of homelessnessemotional cut-offrelationship-based practiceworking collaboratively
Type
Practice Commentary
Information
Children Australia , Volume 42 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 9 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

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