Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-dfsvx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T02:55:08.242Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Personal reflections on needs and services for young people leaving care: From local to international to national (1996–2005)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Mike Clare
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper describes and reflects on a Western Australian initiative in which a university Department of Social Work and Social Policy developed a partnership with a major hank’s staff charity and the West Australian Association of Young People in Care (WAAYPIC) to develop a preparatory Life Skills Workshop and a Peer Mentoring programme for young people about to leave State care. The programme was designed and provided by WAA YPIC members.

The paper reflects on partnership processes in securing funding and implementing two pilot projects for care graduates. There is a review of predominantly United Kingdom and Australian research literature on the experiences and life-chances of young people leaving the care of the ‘government as parent’. Notions of social justice and ‘good enough parenting’ are challenged. While their peers living with birth parents are leaving home in their mid-20s, able to rely on emotional and financial support from their families, the average age of leaving care is 17 years and the quality and continuity of emotional and financial support is problematic.

The author describes and reflects on local initiatives in leaving care policies and programmes and goes on to reflect on the growing arguments for a national system of service standards and necessary funding to achieve these standards. Recent UK initiatives are reviewed in the context of the 2005 FACE TO FACE Workshop on leaving care needs and policies in Australian States and Territories.

Type
Research Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 31 , Issue 3: SPECIAL ISSUE Featuring keynote addresses and related papers from TOWARDS BETTER OUTCOMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE LEAVING STATE CARE A conference held at Monash University on 22 November 2005 , 2006 , pp. 11 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aldgate, J. (1994) ‘Graduating from care: A missed opportunity for encouraging successful citizenship’, Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 16 No. 3/4, 255–272.Google Scholar
Auditor General for Western Australia (1998) Accommodation and support services provided to young people unable to live at home, Report No. 11, Auditor General, Perth, Western Australia.Google Scholar
Australian Law Reform Commission & Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1997) A matter of priority: Children and the legal process, Draft Recommendation Paper No. 3, ALRC, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.Google Scholar
Bamardo’s, (1998) I can’t go back to Mum and Dad’: A report on the impact of social security changes on young people leaving care, Barnardo’s, Ilford, UK.Google Scholar
Bath, H.(1994), ‘Out-of-home care in Australia: A state by state comparison’, Children Australia, Vol. 19, No. 4, 4–10.Google Scholar
Biehal, N., Clayden, J., Stein, M. & Wade, J. (1994) ‘Leaving care in England: A research perspective’, Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 16, No. 3/4, 231–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
British Association for Adoption and Fostering (2000) ‘New legislation to improve standards’, BAAF News, No. 102, January/February.Google Scholar
Broad, B. (1994) Leaving care in the 1990s: The results of a national survey. The Royal Philanthropic Society, Brasted, Kent, UK.Google Scholar
Cashmore, J. & Paxman, M. (1996) Wards leaving care: A longitudinal study, Department of Community Services, Sydney, New South Wales.Google Scholar
Children’s Society (1992) The next step: A guide to leaving care, Children’s Society, London.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (1995) The Looking After Children Project in Western Australia, conference proceedings of the Fifth Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Melbourne, Victoria, 16–20 October.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (1997) ‘The UK ‘Looking After Children’ Project: Fit for out-of-home care practice in Australia?’, Children Australia, Vol. 22, No. 1, 29–35.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (1999) Draft standards for services for young people leaving care for in(ter?)dependent living, UWA/ANZ/WAAYPIC Reference Group, Perth.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (2000) ‘Educating family group conference coordinators: A ‘family of origin’ perspective’, Children Australia, Vol. 25, No. 2, 21–27.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (2001a) Reflections on leaving care policy and practice: Preparation for interdependent living, paper presented at the 8th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (2001b) ‘Not with a bang but a whimper’: Reflections on leaving care policy and practice in Western Australia, paper presented at the Pomor Project Closing Conference, Bodo Regional University, Norway.Google Scholar
Clare, M. (2003) ‘‘Good enough parenting’ when government is ‘the parent’’, Children Australia, Vol. 28, No. 4, 19–34.Google Scholar
Clare, M. & Murphy, P. (2000) Peer mentors as partners in the leaving care process: Evaluation of a Western Australian initiative, report of the Australia and New Zealand Bank Leaving Care Project, Department of Social Work and Social Policy, University of Western Australia.Google Scholar
Clare, M., Murphy, P. & Moschini, H. (2000) Leaving care: Preparation for in(ter)dependent living – A West Australian project, conference proceedings of the Seventh Australasian Child Abuse and Neglect Conference, Perth.Google Scholar
Clare, M. & Peerless, H. (1996) An evaluation study of the UK Looking After Children materials, report prepared for the Out-of-Home, Preventative and Alternative Care Committee, Family and Children’s Services, Perth, Western Australia.Google Scholar
Coleman, J. & Warren-Adamson, C. (1992) Youth policy in the 1990’s: The way forward, Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Community Services Commission (2000) Inquiry into the practice and provision of substitute care in NSW: New directions from substitute to supported care. Community Services Commission, Sydney, New South Wales.Google Scholar
CREATE Foundation (2005) The Superhero’s Journey: Supporting positive leaving care and transition experiences, draft final report of the FACE TO FACE 4th National Partnership Forum - Brisbane.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1996) Focus on teenagers: Research into practice, HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1997) When leaving care is also leaving home: An inspection of services for young people leaving care, Social Services Inspectorate, HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1999a) Me, survive, out there? New arrangements for young people living in and leaving care, HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1999b) The Personal Social Services Performance Assessment Framework, Department of Health, London.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Social Security (1985) Social work decisions in child care: Recent research findings and their implications, HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Gilligan, R. (2001) Promoting resilience: A resource bookforwork with children in the care system, British Association for Adoption and Fostering, London.Google Scholar
Green, S. & Jones, A. (1999) ‘Improving outcomes for young people leaving care: Which way forward?’, Children Australia, Vol. 24. No. 4, 64–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horrocks, C. & Waters, P. (1996) Exit intemews for young people who have been looked after in Wakefield, Community and Social Services Department, Wakefield, UK.Google Scholar
House of Commons Health Commitlee (1998) Children Looked After by Local Authorities, Volume 1, The Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Jones, G. (1995) Leaving home, Open University Press, Buckingham, UK.Google Scholar
Kufeldt, K., Simard, M. & Vachon, J. (2003) ‘Improving outcomes for children in care: Giving youth a voice, Adoption and Fostering, Vol. 27, No. 2,3–19.Google Scholar
Maunders, D., Liddell, M., Liddell, M. & Green, S. (1999) Young people leaving care and protection: A report to the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme, Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, Hobart, Tasmania.Google Scholar
McDonald, M. (1994) ‘Leaving care’, Illusion Free Zone Conference Edition, AAYPIC, November.Google Scholar
Mendes, P. (2005) ‘Remembering the ‘forgotten’ Australians: The Care Leavers of Australia Network and the Senate Inquiry into Institutionalised and Out-of-Home Care’, Children Australia, Vol. 30, No. 1, 4–10.Google Scholar
Mendes, P. & Goddard, C. (2000) ‘Leaving care programs locally and nationally: Towards better outcomes’, Children Australia, Vol. 25, No. 3, 11–16.Google Scholar
Owen, L., Lunken, T., Davis, C., Cooper, B., Frederico, M. & Keating, T. (2000) Pathways to interdependence and independence: The Leaving Care Initiative, Department of Social Work and Social Policy, La Trobe University.Google Scholar
Penglase, J. (2004) ‘Forgotten Australians: The Report of the Senate Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care’, Developing Practice, 11, Summer, 32–37.Google Scholar
Smith, C. (Ed.) (1994) Partnership in action: Developing effective aftercare projects, The Royal Philanthropic Society, Brasted, Kent, UK.Google Scholar
Stein, M. (1991) Leaving care and the 1989 Children Act, First Key, Leeds, UK.Google Scholar
Stone, M. (1990) Young people leaving care: A study of management systems service delivery and user evaluation. Royal Philanthropic Society, Redhill, UK.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. (1990) Leaving care and homelessness, Brotherhood of St Lawrence, Melbourne, Victoria.Google Scholar
Wise, S. (1998) The benefits of Looking After Children in the ‘out of home care’ of children and young people in Victoria, paper presented at the Sixth Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, Melbourne, Victoria, 25–27 November.Google Scholar
Wise, S. (1999) ‘‘Looking After Children’ in the Victorian out of home care system’, Child Abuse Prevention, Vol. 7, No. 1, Autumn.Google Scholar