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An article written by the Commission titled ‘I’ll make it work: Young people’s views of leaving care in Queensland’, has been published in the latest edition of the peer-reviewed journal Children Australia.

The article presents selected findings from the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian’s third survey of children and young people in foster and kinship care, which was conducted in Queensland in 2009 and attracted 2727 responses.

The article focuses specifically on the views of 124 young people aged 16 to 18 years.
Young people were surveyed on a range of issues, including leaving care, their health and wellbeing, education, placement histories, and perceptions of both their current placement and the care system in general.

Findings reveal that most young people surveyed are optimistic about managing independent living, but anticipate needing a range of supports, especially financial assistance and help finding accommodation. Over half would prefer to continue living with their foster or kinship care family and more than three-quarters would like ongoing contact with the family after they leave care. 

The findings underscore the need to address the numerous structural and personal barriers that care leavers may encounter when they leave their care, as well as the need for flexibility in terms of the age at which young people must leave their care situation. In order for such changes to occur, they must be reflected in legislation and supported by detailed policy frameworks and benchmarks.

The article was written by Lee Tennent, Principal Research Officer, Brian Jenkins, Senior Research Officer, and Commissioner Elizabeth Fraser, and appears in Children Australia,  Vol. 35, No.4, 2010, pp. 14-22.

The full-text article is available to subscribers of Children Australia at: https://www.australianacademicpress.com.au/journals/details/18/Children_Australia

For more information about the article or the study, please contact Lee Tennent on (07) 3211 6865 or email: lee.tennent@ccypcg.qld.gov.au