PREPARATION FOR LEAVING CARE

In your organisation which of the following has the responsibility for preparing young people to successfully transition from care?

(a) Foster carers

(b) Residential workers

(c) Social workers or 

(d) Transitioning from care workers   

(SPOILER ALERT: ALL OF THE ABOVE!)

 In Australia national out-of-home care standards have now been in place for almost a decade and there is a specific standard on preparation for transitioning from care i.e. National Standards for Out‐of‐home Care, 2010 (standard 13). In New Zealand, while the national standards have only been in place since July 2019, these are more comprehensive, and as regulations are also legally enforceable i.e. Oranga Tamariki (National Care Standards and Related Matters) Regulations 2018, (Part 5). 

The English word ‘prepare’ comes from the Latin word praeparāre (“make ready in advance”), from prae- (“pre-”) + parāre (“make ready”). That seems clear enough. However, in our everyday conversations we actually use the word ‘prepare’ is a variety of different ways, which impacts on how we think about the transitioning from care process. If we: 

1.        prepare a meal, the activity is completed once all of the ingredients have been incorporated, cooked, and the meal is ready to be served;

2.        prepare for a career or career change, we focus on the one or two large actions that will get us closer to our goal, such as gaining a new qualification;

3.        prepare for a job interview, we familiarise ourselves with the requirements of the role and the relevance of our experience;

4.        prepare for an exam we refresh our memory on what we already know, and strategically learn what we don’t;

5.        prepare a plan, we work out all of the details and how they fit together and are sequenced;

6.        prepare a report, we translate our ideas into written form; 

7.        prepare to leave our house, many of us go through a mental checklist

8.        prepare for a sporting event, our systematic training regime should ensure peak physical and mental performance;

9.        are prepared to listen, we engage, set aside or at least acknowledge our own assumptions, and are open to the ideas of others; and

10.     in 10, 20, or 30 years or longer, find ourselves preparing to die, there’s hopefully both a coming to terms with the past and accepting the future. 

 Reflecting on this list, how do you see preparation for leaving care, and practically what’s your role here and that of your team in making a difference? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can email me at: iain@betteroutcomes.co.nz

Kia kaha (Stay Strong).

Iain