Further education
The teen in your care deserves to find work that makes them happy and that supports a decent standard of living. To get there, they’ll need your help to think clearly about their strengths and interests and about the sort of career that suits them best. And they’ll have to get the necessary experience or education to make it all happen.
Support for further education
Children in care may not have had much exposure to the idea of going on to further education after school. You can introduce your child to those possibilities by talking to them about university and TAFE courses that may be of interest to them.
Some universities give young people in care an introduction to university life through camps and ‘taster’ days. You and your child may like to get involved in one of the programs described below.
Newcastle University (02) 4985 4200 Newcastle University holds on-campus residential experiences for Year 9 students to help them get a feel for university. They also support careleavers at university with the 'Live, Learn, Grow' program, with benefits including subsidised on-campus accommodation and guaranteed on-campus employment.
Western Sydney University Widening Participation Plan (02) 9678 7257 Western Sydney University runs 'University Taster Days' and an afterschool workshop program called 'Boost Club' for school kids in care and care leavers. They follow through with 'U1st', a program that supports careleavers once they start at university.
Your caseworker can help you connect with universities or TAFEs, and can also help you find out about scholarships that could help cover the cost of fees.