#yousaiditwedidit #makeit21
The New South Wales Government has extended supports to young people in care until 21 years of age.
NSW has joined the other states in supporting young people in care until 21. CREATE Foundation has been advocating for this change for years and our hard work has paid off. We are so thrilled with this result.
The Your Choice Your Future package includes:
- An extension of the Care Allowance to support more young people to remain with their carers until 21
- An expansion of the Aftercare Allowance – a fortnightly payment for any young person who does not remain in their carer’s home and needs assistance until the age of 21
- An expansion of the Specialist Aftercare Program – increasing the availability and location of targeted supports for young people when they leave care.
- Funding for additional caseworkers to further support young people plan for the transition to leaving care
To learn more, visit www.dcjnsw.info/aftercare
We did it! Thanks to the hard work of CREATE’s Young Consultants using their voices, all Australian States and Territories now support young people in care to the age of 21! We are very proud of our advocacy and our amazing Young People.
CREATE Staff with Minister Natasha Maclaren-Jones
The Journey to #makeit21
NSW young people in out-of-home care are at risk of homelessness at their 18th birthday. Many are trying to complete their education at the same time and find it difficult to juggle the realities of having to leave their current placements or residential homes whilst focussing on finishing their studies. NSW young people remain the only cohort of young people in the country that do not have adequate support to 21 as other states and territories now have. CREATE Foundation urges the Perrottet Government to listen to, and try to understand the issues that young care leavers face, and support young people till they reach the age of 21, regardless of if they are in foster, kinship or residential care.
Voice of the People
CREATE took to the streets of Sydney to hear directly from the public. CREATE asked them to share their views on leaving care at 18, and was met with a resounding, unanimous response from the public, who say it is NOT OK for the government to jettison vulnerable young care leavers at 18. Watch the videos to find out what people said.
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Additional Resources
Want to know more?
In November of 2019, CREATE held the Voices in Action: Nothing About Us Without Us Conference. The conference focused on three key priorities for change that were identified through consultations with children and young people in the development of CREATE’s 2018-2021 Strategic Plan. Transitioning from care was one of these priorities, and through the topic’s presentations, panels and workshops we saw young people, carers and sector professionals come together to call for extending support until 21. These photos and videos show their calls to #makeit21.
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