2019 is looking bright for KARI’s Leaving Care program as it continues to assist youth transitioning from Out of Home Care (OOHC). Our Leaving Care program assists young people from the age of 15 in their transition to independent living arrangements.
Overall we are working with 86 young people aged between 15-25 years and by the end of 2019, this number will total 105.
Working together with their Case Worker and a Leaving Care officer on a leaving care plan, allows the young person to ensure they have a voice on their journey towards a successful transition to independent living. Statistics from Create reports (2013-2018) and the make it 21 Campaign show that 50% of young people are informed at age 15 that they should be starting the process to prepare to leave care. 100% of KARI young people are introduced to their leaving care officer at age 15 and are actively engaged in conversations about leaving care between the ages of 15-18.
The Leaving Care team run programs such as 1on1 cooking classes, health and hygiene workshops and other essential skill based programs. These programs build skill sets and allow our young people to explore and practice their skills in a controlled environment, this way ensuring they are self-sufficient when living on their own.
Our Leaving Care Team are also assisting our young people to identify and peruse employment opportunities. Statistics show that 50% of young people leaving care in the first 12 months are unemployed or not in further education. KARI are bucking these trends as 87% of our young people are engaged in education, transition to employment programs and employment.
KARI are confident that the Leaving Care program is crucial in assisting youth in transitioning from OOHC, as we have recently seen one of our young people transition successfully from KARI House; with the help of the team, this individual has become self-sufficient and managed to obtain his own rental property.
KARI hopes to introduce more classes and programs that provide youth with the opportunity to expand their knowledge, assist them on their journey to becoming independent and overall become successful contributors to their communities.
