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

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.