Defining transition to adulthood

Transition to adulthood refers to the process by which a young person moves from being in care to adulthood, with all its responsibilities and challenges. The purpose of our involvement in the process is to help them make the most of their opportunities and choices.

Watch this 3-minute video from the CREATE Foundation, featuring young people explaining in their own words what transition to adulthood is and how it helps.

Transition to adulthood planning is integrated into case planning for a young person from the age of 15 years. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to transition to adulthood planning, and planning should move beyond what the young person needs for their survival and incorporate resilience and life skills to support the young person to thrive. It should reflect the young persons aspirations.

Balance the timing of when planning commences, so it starts early enough that young people feel like they are planning for their own future, but not so early that they feel pressured. Take the impacts of trauma, attachment disruption and developmental delays into account and move at the pace of the young person.

Establishing a relationship with the young person and promoting their active participation in the process is critical to successful transition to adulthood planning and action. Young people individually guide us about what participation looks, sounds and feels like to them. We need to be respectful and proactive in engaging at their pace. (Refer to The importance of young people’s active participation.)

Young people in care need to have connections to their families, because this provides ongoing relationships and support as they move into adulthood. Relationships with parents, siblings and extended family need to be revisited regularly to find opportunities to strengthen them or safely reconnect. (Refer to Family connection.)

It is essential that we establish a robust safety and support network and form partnerships with those in the young person’s network. In the planning process, we use other relationships that the young person may have with professionals or friends. These people can establish effective relationships and assist with communication. Collaboration delivers better outcomes.

Facts and myths about transition to adulthood

Legislation and framework principles

The Child Protection Act 1999, section 75, requires the chief executive to ensure a young person who is or has been in the custody or guardianship of the chief executive, is provided with help to transition to adulthood. This process commences from 15 years and can continue up when the young person turns 25.

Child Safety uses effective transition to adulthood planning to give young people the best chance of thriving and developing resilience and life skills.

This is made more likely by them having:

• safe relationships with family, community and culture
• strong safety and support networks
• plans for education, training or employment
• access to safe and stable accommodation, financial support, health services and community services
•  knowledge of who to contact for assistance.

Child Safety actively supports a young person from age 15 in preparing for adulthood and the end of their child protection order.

To ensure help is available to assist young people in their transition to adulthood up to the age of 25 years, Child Safety provides funding to specific non-government organisations to assist young people with a care experience to transition to adulthood. Two services operating in various locations across Queensland are the Extended Post Care Support and Next Step Plus programs. For more information about these services refer to the section Post care services.

When a young person turns 18, if there are outstanding case plan goals and support by Child Safety is required to meet those goals, continued case work and planning can be provided through a support service case. Refer to policy Transition to adulthood.

Use of language

Young people transitioning to adulthood are likely to have experienced stigma due to their experiences of being a child in care. It is important that as practitioners, we challenge this stigma. One way we can do this is to think about the language we use with young people, family members and safety and support networks.

For example, the use of the term ‘birth family’ can be excluding and can differentiate the young person from others. Allow each young person to select the language that they want to use when referring to parents and siblings.

‘In care’ or ‘out-of-home care’ are also terms that young people may not like. The place where they live is their home. Instead of referring to their placement, we talk about 'care arrangements'.

Instead of referring to the young person as a ‘child in care’, the young person may prefer ‘young person with a care experience’. Again, take the lead from the young person.

There is also stigma in terms of expectations of poor life outcomes for young people in or leaving care, and a tendency to compare their potential with that of those who did not grow up in care.

Young people in care appreciate that they have had a different life experience, but they don’t want this difference to be highlighted or emphasised.

Respond to stigma by:

• helping young people to celebrate their time in care and look forward to a positive future
• encouraging young people to achieve their dreams and raise their ambitions
• making your own pledge to challenge stereotypes—and think before you reinforce them.