Helping a young person prepare for leaving care

What it means to leave care

Leaving care is a technical term used in legislation. It means that the young person in your care is no longer formally in the care of the Minister. This usually happens when he or she turns 18.

Leaving care doesn’t mean the young person has to move out and leave your home. It’s about planning for the future, identifying goals and the actions that will see them achieve their goals.

Preparing for independent living

You will play a critical role in helping the young person prepare for adulthood and independence. It starts with helping them develop independent living skills, such as how to cook, save money, build healthy relationships and look after their health and well-being.

Consider completing the Independent living skills checklist together. It’s a great starting point for you and the young person in your care to consider what he or she can start doing now to build independent living skills and to help identify the areas they want to learn more about.

With the support of a caseworker, you and the young person in your care will create a leaving care plan that will help the young person think about their future. The plan will outline the young person's goals and ambitions, what support and services he or she may need, and what each person has agreed to do to support the journey.

The leaving care plan stays in place until the young person turns 25.

Personal information and belongings

Young people leaving care are entitled to keep all their possessions. These can include personal belongings, clothing, equipment such as wheelchairs, or furniture that may have been purchased for them while in care.

They are also allowed access to any personal information held by you, including school reports, medical reports and personal photographs.

Support for carers

The following resources will provide some guidance on how to prepare a young person for leaving care and transitioning to independent living.

File

A guide for foster, relative and kinship carers to help young people prepare for leaving care. It includes topics such as teaching everyday skills for adulthood, making plans and how to keep your relationship with the young person strong.

Caring for Kids
The key resource used by DCJ for new foster, relative and kinship carers.

Raising tweens and teenagers
A guide for foster and kinship carers of pre-teens and teenagers in out-of-home care. The guide includes useful tips to support with the day-to-day and the more challenging issues.

Statutory requirements

As an authorised foster carer, you are one of the most important people in the life of the child or young person for the time they're in your care.  Your rights and responsibilities as a carer are outlined in the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998, sections: 61, 165, 166.

The minimum requirements for young people to successfully transition to living independently are also detailed in the Standards 12 of the NSW Child Safe Standards For Permanent Care.