Beyond 18: The Longitudinal Study on Leaving Care Wave 3 research report: outcomes for young people leaving care in Victoria

Beyond 18: The Longitudinal Study on Leaving Care was commissioned by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to increase understanding of young people's experiences of leaving out‑of‑home care (OOHC). The study's central component was a three‑wave online Survey of Young People who had an OOHC experience in Victoria. This survey explored the young people's in‑care experiences, sources of income, education, health and wellbeing, social and family relationships and access to services. The survey of young people from OOHC was supplemented by qualitative interviews with care leavers, surveys of OOHC sector workers, surveys of kinship and foster carers and analysis of data from the DHHS Client Relationship Information System (CRIS). This report focuses on findings from Wave 3 of the Survey of Young People - completed by 126 care leavers - and from 54 qualitative interviews with care leavers that were completed concurrently to the Wave 3 survey. The report explores key aspects of study participants' post‑care lives and their views on the key barriers and enablers for achieving better life outcomes.

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