ensuring smooth transitions into adulthood
Prevention of youth homelessness:
Introducing an aftercare guarantee for
youth leaving state care
Catherine Maher and Mike Allen – Focus Ireland reland
This Presentation
• Care and Aftercare in Ireland
• Focus Ireland’s Aftercare Model
• The Challenges
• Aftercare Assessment Guarantee
Care and aftercare in Ireland
Children in State care
• 6,466 children in state care
• 93% in foster care
• 6% in residential care
• 1% other
Young people in Aftercare Ireland: 2013
Focus Ireland’s Aftercare Model
Grew out of recognition of high number of care leavers among homeless
This is not a homeless service
• Care leavers are defined under Ethos
6. People due to be released from institutions
6.3 Childrens institutions/homes
Preventative Service targetting the small number of young people at risk of homelessness
Complex needs
Frequently from Residential Care or multiple foster placement
The first phase
‘Young Women’s Aftercare Project (1989)
• 4 bedrooms for young women who had been in care
and experienced street homelessness
• ‘Shared Living Model’
• Staff on-site, shared cooking arrangements
• Experience showed this model did not
progress towards independent living skills.
The Second Phase
‘On-Site Residential Supported Housing’
Independent units
24 hour on-site case management support
Support plans - towards independent living
Up to 9 months
‘Visiting Support in Private Rented’ model
For young people with greater capacity
24 hour on-call case management support
‘Visiting Support in FI-owned premises
Provides greater sustainability: tolerant landlord
Focus Ireland Aftercare stats 2013
Residential
North Dublin 14
South Dublin 19
Waterford 11
TOTAL 44
Visiting Support
North Dublin 42
South Dublin 77
Limerick 12
Waterford 19
TOTAL 150
So what is the problem?
• Insufficient resources: waiting
lists and ‘post-code lottery
• Lack of
• Access to Education
• Access to Employment
• Personal finances
• Housing…..
So what was the answer?
• Create a legal right to aftercare
– the state ‘shall’ (not MAY) provide
aftercare
• Campaigned for ten years for this
legislative change
• Government responded with commitment
to “a right to assessment for all”
Eligibility for the Aftercare Assessment
A child, aged 16/17,
who had been in care for 12 consecutive months
Or has been in care on a number of occasions
totalling at least 12 months
Or between 18 and 21 and
who was an eligible child but a care plan was not
prepared, or who did not engage with the plan on
reaching 18
there has been a significant change in their
circumstances e.g. children who leave care to return
home and then arrangements break down
Limitations of assessment guarantee
• It doesn’t guarantee resources
• If assessment were to have legal power then authorities respond by underestimating young people’s needs
• If assessment were to have too little authority it would be meaningless
• Needs to have legal power to command resources
• Provides support for advocates
Promoting a European Guarantee
• Existing Youth Guarantee does little for
young people at risk of homelessness
• Careleavers are at risk of
homelessness all over EU
• EU should take the lead in ‘parental’
role
• We can build on the Irish progress
• FEANTSA should adopt this campaign
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