Reimagining out-of-home care support. What if we did it differently?

QFCC Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford talks about the benefit of life-long support for people in care. 

This Transition to Adulthood month, the QFCC has been highlighting how young Queenslanders can find the support they need when they leave care—help with finding accommodation, employment, exploring study, and learning life skills, like managing budgets.

It’s an important time that can set young people up for success, and we need to give them the information they need to help them make those decisions.

In Queensland, young people in care receive support until they are 21, which is fantastic, but what happens after that? Who do they turn to when they need advice and support?

When we think about how a parent should care for their child, time and age are inconsequential.

My children are fast becoming adults, yet they rely on me today just as much as they did in their first year of life. And they can expect to receive support from me for as long as I am able to provide it.

Likewise, I am a few years past 21—we won’t say how many—and I still need my parents’ advice, guidance and support.

A young person doesn’t stop needing love and support when they wake up one morning at age 22.

Support for children and young people should not abruptly end at any age. It should continue for as long as it’s needed.

If a parent’s role is enduring, shouldn’t support for children in care endure, too?

I’d like to see Queensland offer support to people with a care experience for as long as they need it, throughout their entire lives.

I would like them to know they can try and fail, because they have a safety net around them. I’d like them to be able to access the guidance and support I know my kids will receive.

Think about the difference that would make for children, families and communities right across Queensland.