Home Stretch WA - Information for young people

To be eligible to participate in Home Stretch WA, the young person must qualify for leaving care assistance as set out in section 96 of the Children and Community Services Act 2004.

That is, the young person must have:

• left the CEO’s care, and
• be under 21 years old, and
• have been the subject of any of the following after reaching 15 years:
  • a protection order (time limited or until 18), or
  • a negotiated placement agreement which was in place continuously for at least six months, or
  • been provided a placement service under s.32(1)(a) continuously for at least six months.

Any queries regarding a young person’s eligibility for Home Stretch WA can emailed to HomeStretchWA@communities.wa.gov.au.

Home Stretch WA is a voluntary program. Eligible young people should receive information about Home Stretch from their case worker from age 15 and make an informed choice about whether to engage with the program. Referrals to Home Stretch WA can be made when the young person reaches 17.

All referrals are to be made by a Department of Communities Child Protection District Office, either by a young person’s case worker or the relevant leaving care team member.

Home Stretch WA helps young people over the age of 18 who are leaving out-of-home care in Western Australia, transition to independent living and adulthood.

It is a voluntary program, which includes smooth transition from out of home care, the development of informal support circles, and financial supports including the Staying on Subsidy or Housing Allowance, and the Invest in Me Fund.

Home Stretch WA – Fact sheet for young people (PDF, 891KB)

After the young person reaches the age of 17.5, A Home Stretch Transition Coach will work together with them and their support circle to ensure a smooth transition into the Home Stretch WA program.

Smooth Transition includes transfer between Home Stretch WA service providers if needed, ensuring eligible young people are aware of their rights and transition to independence at 21 years.

A Transition Coach is a youth worker who works consistently with the young person to provide flexible, one to one support focused on coaching towards independence. 

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.

Gives the 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.

Invest in Me funding is provided through the coaching relationship and administered by Home Stretch WA service providers.

The young person can be supported to continue ‘staying on’ with a supportive adult, who is an approved foster or family carer, until the age of 21 years. This includes a fortnightly subsidy payment and support for the supportive adult, with an expectation that the young person will contribute (or ‘chip in’) to their living expenses from their independent income.

The young person and supportive adult complete a formal Staying On Agreement to support the young person’s emerging independence and to access the subsidy. The payments are administered by the Department of Communities.

Staying On – A guide for young people and carers (PDF, 2.52MB)

If the young person chooses independent living, they can access a Housing Allowance to help them afford a broader range of living arrangements (such as private rentals or living together arrangements with a host). 

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. The payments are administered by the Department of Communities.

Housing Allowance Fact Sheet for Young People (PDF, 1.15MB)

A primary focus of the support provided to young people by Home Stretch WA is to allow them to grow and maintain an enduring network of personal, family and community connections.

This support also includes assistance to map out connections to family, community and culture, and to help reconnect with family and historic relationships.

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.

More information can be obtained through Department of Communities District Offices or email the project team at HomeStretchWA@communities.wa.gov.au.

Young people with disabilities, including those under the NDIS are eligible for Home Stretch WA. The young person must have the ability to understand the supports available and the minimum level of engagement with a Transition Coach required to participate in the program.

The young person should have a support person in attendance at the initial Home Stretch WA information session to assist them to make a choice about whether Home Stretch is right for them.

The role of the Transition Coach is to work directly with the young person and help them transition to adulthood. With the young person’s direction a Transition Coach may work collaboratively with an NDIS Support Coordinator, recovery coach, or other NDIS support worker, if there is scope in the young person’s NDIS support plan to support this.

Yes, young people can request a referral to Home Stretch WA through any district office up to the time they reach the age of 20 years and 9 months. This referral can be coordinated by any district office.

Home Stretch WA service providers typically provide support to young people during office hours only.

The Home Stretch WA model was designed alongside 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 has partnered with community service organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (Home Stretch WA service providers) to deliver the Home Stretch WA program across the State.

The following resource provides guidance on how to make a complaint or provide feedback regarding a Home Stretch service provider.

Home Stretch WA – Complaints process for young people (PDF, 209KB)