Home Stretch Campaign update

Tuart Place supports the Home Stretch initiative and applauds the State Government for introducing a trial program in WA in October 2018.

Home Stretch provides an option to extend out-of-home care from 18 to 21 years for any young person needing or seeking this. Older care leavers often refer to the experience of leaving institutional care as “the worst time of all”. Discharged from the age of 16, they were unprepared for life outside the orphanage, sometimes not knowing how to use a public telephone, catch a bus or open a bank account.

Much has improved over the years, but for today’s young people, leaving care at 18 can still be devastating, and within a year, 50 per cent will be unemployed, in jail, homeless or become a new parent.

Anglicare WA Services Director Mark Glasson, who led the WA campaign for Home Stretch, said these risk factors could be reduced with more support. “Implementing this reform willreduce youth homelessness for young people leaving care by 50 per cent, it will reduce crime figures by about 40 per cent, it will reduce young people’s involvement in crime, we will reduce teen pregnancies, and young people’s participation in education and employment will double,” Mr Glasson said. Anglicare WA is working with the State Government to develop the trial and will test it over at least six months. If successful, the trial will be extended.

Many older care leavers say their greatest wish is for the mistakes of the past not to be repeated with children in care today. The start of Home Stretch in WA is a great step towards achieving this goal.

We commend Premier Mark McGowan and Minister Simone McGurk on this decision.

Young people in state care should have a place to call home until the age of 21

Chris is a young care leaver and survivor of child abuse. He is also a CREATE Young Consultant with a strong purpose in helping to protect all children who are at risk of abuse, and provide them with support, hope and a vision for their future.

Chris supports the Home Stretch campaign to extend out-of-home care from 18 to 21 years. He writes: “Approval for all children and young people in out-of-home care to receive supportfrom the departmentuntil21 willgive these children andyoung people three more years to build their parameters ofindependent living skills as well as accessing pivotalsupports; validating thattheircaseworkersandthedepartmentarededicated to ensuring they never ever have to be a victim, ever again”. Source: www.create.org.au

Presentation to Trauma Informed Care Symposium

FACT Chairperson Cevrina Reed, Tuart Place Senior Therapist Susy Vaughan and Director Philippa White delivered a joint presentation to the Trauma Informed Care Symposium - Structuring Recovery, Creating Healing Spaces – held in the Perth CBD on 9 November 2018.

The symposium was convened by the Australian Association of Social Workers. Entitled Tuart Place: Working alongside survivors of institutional trauma in designing, delivering and reviewing services, their presentation focussed on the four essential elements identified in Dr Sue Bailey’s 2014 independent evaluation of Tuart Place: Safety, Connection, Opportunity and Hope.

A video of participants speaking in the powerful short film Why I come to Tuart Place was linked to each of these elements to illustrate how they operate in practice and how they contribute to an increased sense of belonging, selfdetermination and positive life choices.

Presentations and other resources from the

Symposium are available at https://www.aasw.asn.au/ western-australia/trauma-informed-symposium/traumainformed-symposium-resources