Home Stretch WA - about the program

Home Stretch WA provides young people leaving Out of Home Care with the option to continue to receive support up until the age of 21.

The Home Stretch WA model was co-designed with young people with lived experience of transitioning from care, with a particular focus on the needs of young Aboriginal people and their families.

The Department of Communities is partnering with community service organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (Home Stretch WA service providers) to deliver the Home Stretch WA program across the State.

Transition Coach – A consistent youth worker who works with a young person to provide flexible, one to one support focused on coaching towards independence, (with a maximum caseload of 12 young people). The Transition Coach works from a set of practice principles ensuring support provided is focused on building a young person’s self-reliance, skills, capacity and connection to community, culture and country.

A Smooth Transition – Working together with a young person and their support circle from the age of 17.5 years to ensure a smooth transition into the Home Stretch WA program and a seamless continuation of support until the age of 21 years.  Ensuring the young person is aware of their rights and can independently access support they are entitled to until the age of 25 years.

Invest in Me Fund – Gives a young person the ‘right’ to a visible and secure financial safety net for resources to support them towards their aspirations and goals, or for crisis relief ($2,500 per young person per annum). Invest in Me funding is provided through the coaching relationship and administered by Home Stretch WA service providers.

Staying On Agreement and Subsidy – A young person can be supported to continue ‘staying on’ with a foster or family carer to ensure they have a stable living arrangement until the age of 21 years. This includes a continuation of payments and support to the carer with an expectation that a young person will contribute to their living expenses from their independent income. The focus of Staying On Agreements is to support the young person’s emerging independence. These payments are administered by Communities.

Housing Allowance – A young person can be supported to access a Housing Allowance to help them afford a broader range of living arrangements. When accessing this financial support, there is an emphasis on providing the young person with the skills and supports they need to secure and maintain safe and stable housing. These payments are administered by Communities.

Support Circles – A primary focus of support provided to a young person to grow and maintain an enduring network of personal, family and community connections. This support also includes the offer of assistance to map out connections to family, community and culture, and to help reconnect with family and historic relationships.

Home Stretch WA providers and the Home Stretch WA Community of Practice have developed a range of communication resources, videos and flyers about the Home Stretch WA program. These have been designed to provide young people and their carers with information in bite size chunks to support decision making.

These resources are available through District Offices and will also be made available through social media sites and platforms.

The Home Stretch WA model allows young people from the age of 17 years to be referred to a Home Stretch WA service provider for an information session to find out more about their choice. Information sessions for foster and family carers will also be delivered by Home Stretch WA providers.

The Home Stretch WA program is voluntary. Young people can talk with their Department of Communities caseworker or another worker at a District Office about the program. If they wish to take up the offer of support, a referral to a Home Stretch WA service provider can be made by the caseworker or District Office.