Stephanie Stefanovic

Children in out-of-home care often face a lot of pressure, with many concerned about where they are going to be living in the next few months. For this reason, many of these children struggle with their studies in primary and high school, and few go on to tertiary level.

The NSW government has responded to this by providing a new payment to foster, relative and kinship carers to help young people in out-of-home care complete secondary education after they turn 18.

The most recent statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that as of June 2014, there were 43 000 Australian children living in out-of-home care. With NSW being home to more of these children than any other state, the government felt it was necessary to take action against barriers to education.

“Access to quality education is important for every young person to succeed in life – I want to see young people in out-of-home care getting the same opportunities and support as young people in the wider community,” said Brad Hazard, Minister for Community and Family Studies.

Traditionally, the cut-off age for out-of-home care is 18. This means that many children in out-of-home care are forced to start full-time work at this age in order to support themselves. This makes it difficult for them to complete tertiary studies, unlike children in traditional families, many of whom continue to live at home after age 18.

Studies by the AIHW also show that compared to children living in traditional homes, those in out-of-home care tend to struggle with literacy and numeracy throughout primary and high school. This creates another major barrier towards completing tertiary study.

Principal of Merrylands High School Lila Mularczyk said she was heartened by the initiative.

“Many young people in care need longer to complete their schooling than their peers and often experience fewer opportunities to go on to higher education and employment,” she said.

“I am really heartened to see these young people, who have often faced many difficulties, getting much-needed support to help them reach their potential”.