What's the Answer? - Create

• Different educational pathways and options for young people, including pathways directly fromschool to TAFE.• Young people in refuges need to be made aware of their entitlements, and workers need to beactively and physically linking young people in with education.• Better acknowledgement from Child Protection Departments regarding educational achievementsof children and young people, eg. rewards for good work.• Involve young people in choosing electives.• Early conversations with young people regarding the importance of school/education.• Show young people where they could end up if they don’t focus and try to do well e.g. homelessshelter, jail, rehab.• Show young people where they could end up if they do focus and try to do well e.g. havesuccessful professionals who’d had care experiences come to talk to groups of young peopleabout how they got to be where they are.Employment/training• More information for young people regarding Centrelink; Department of Education, Employment,and Workplace Relations (DEEWR); and job providers. This information would include youngpeople’s rights and entitlements.• More funding for skills development programs. This could include training for young people toconnect them into the workforce, help with resumes.• Extend the CREATE Your Future Program to every state/territory and in the regional areas.• Training/Graduate Program for young people who have been in care, eg. to become Child SafetyOfficers/Case Workers; Youth Work traineeships.• More traineeship information to young people.• More work experience opportunities.• Acknowledgement and support for young people who chose to work or get an apprenticeshipinstead of going to school. This could include a financial support program to help cover expensesof an apprenticeship.• Fund/allowance that recognises the disadvantage faced by young people in care. This allowancecould be used for reasons that include interview clothing, education, and employment andtraining purposes.• More readily available access to records including birth certificate and tax file number.• Post care worker support.• Access for young people to speak with a Careers Advisors, and for this to be an essentialcomponent of a transition plan.• Access for young people to speak with a Financial Advisor.Youth Allowance• Young people need to know about their entitlements.• Better relationships/communication between Child Protection Department, Centrelink andcommunity support services.• Dedicated worker in Centrelink to link with Child Protection Departments.• A ‘flag’ to come up on Centrelink file for a young person with a care experience. Workerswould’ve received training/information about the specific challenges and needs of young peoplein care. Young people would have the right to not have this ‘flag’ if they wished.• Greater awareness of challenges of young people in care – pamphlet, training for Centrelinkworkers, video for workers made by young people.42