Yorganop’s commencement of the Home Stretch service marks an important milestone in a journey, and partnership, that started 3 years ago when Yorganop and Anglicare WA met to talk about how we might work together to meet the needs of Aboriginal young people leaving care.
Genuine collaboration around the service design, and implementation, has resulted in the development of a practice approach that is both evidence-based and culturally informed.
Keeping in mind that there is no singular view of Aboriginal culture and community, our work together provides an example of how to contextualise services to respond to the needs, and cultural requirements, of local Aboriginal communities.
As an Aboriginal organisation, and collective of individuals committed to nurturing our children to flourish, we are excited to be able to support our young people to develop life skills, self-confidence and resilience; to identify and take up training, education and employment opportunities; to strengthen their connections with family and community; to grow into independent adulthood and thrive, not just survive.
The elements of the Home Stretch program that will help to support Young People include:
- One-on-one individualised, trauma informed, and culturally safe coaching and mentoring for young people.
- Assistance in finding accommodation. This can be through negotiating with the young person’s carer to continue providing accommodation and being a support person for the young person.
- Family finding and mapping.
- Strengthening an understanding of and connection to culture and kinship networks.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Anglicare WA and the Department of Communities and contributing to the establishment of the Community of Practice, which will be critical to the successful implementation of Home Stretch by other Aboriginal community controlled organisations, as the service is rolled out across Western Australia.” Yorganop CEO Dawn Wallam
In the first year, Yorganop will be supporting 60 young people through the delivery of the Home Stretch Service.
Yorganop and Anglicare WA Staff members at the Home Stretch Media Announcement Child Protection Minister Simone McGurk, Premier Mark McGowan and Tyler, who participated in the Home Stretch Trial.
Where to find more information
Department of Communities Media Statement
Read the Home Stretch WA Final Report.
This report provides a summary of some of the key learnings and insights that have been captured through a range of different co-design tools and activities used in the Trial. This report also provides several key recommendations that have been developed through collaboration with key stakeholders involved in the Trial.
Have a look at the Home Stretch WA Gallery Walk
The Gallery Walk was held at City Farm from the 27th to the 28th of July. The Gallery Walk was an open and interactive opportunity for anyone interested to take a deep dive into the Home Stretch WA Trial model, find out what we have learnt and provide input and insights into what happens next.
