Key elements of a leaving care plan

Developing leaving care or future plans can coincide with exploring connections and reconnections with family, community and culture. When kids are strong in their culture, they tend to have higher self-esteem, more confidence and greater expectations of what they can achieve.

Engaging with other members of their community through activities, language, religion and other cultural actions can be meaningful for young people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and multicultural backgrounds. Nurturing pride and cultural identity in children and young people should be encouraged and supported. Help them to enjoy their own culture and practice traditions and languages other than English.

Cultural support planning is essential to ongoing case management and case plans, and leaving care planning. It is mandatory for any caseworker as part of case planning for children and young people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and multicultural backgrounds. This is because we want to children and young people to preserve their cultural identity as well as their connection to culture and family.

Culture

• Life Story work
• Raising them Strong – Support for Aboriginal kinship and foster carers in NSW
• Care and cultural planning
• Care and cultural planning FAQs

Community and connection

• ABSEC
• Migrant Resource Centre
• Multicultural NSW
• LGBTQI services and community organisations such as Gender Centre
• Assistance with family searching, mediation and reunion