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During COVID-19, it’s critical that all young people in, or preparing to leave, care are supported and have a safe place to live. Leaving care planning and high quality aftercare support are essential. Make sure you follow Ministerial Guidelines for both.
This guidance is for Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) staff and service providers providing residential and intensive therapeutic care (ITC) services to young people. It reinforces existing practices to ensure that young people get any necessary changes to their Leaving Care Plan during this period.
Supporting young people with Leaving Care planning and transition remains an essential service during COVID-19. Young people may be experiencing more uncertainty and worry about their own supports. We know that service providers are working hard to provide reassurance and support as needed.
If service providers identify more needs based on change of circumstances, Leaving Care Plans should be updated to reflect any changes. This may include changes to the type of support they require, and/or timeframe to achieve Leaving Care goals.
There are a range of existing ways to support young people’s changing needs, including as a result of COVID-19.
If service providers have concerns about a young person’s access to supports, capacity to transition, or need for additional support, they should:
During COVID-19, we will work with you to deliver responsive and flexible supports for young people.
CFDUs are responsible for overseeing any changes to a young person’s Leaving Care Plan. For care leavers 18 years and over who need changes to their support and/or timeframe for transitioning to independence, refer to the below table for guidance on DCJ contacts:
Type of change |
Who to contact |
Approval and Monitoring |
Leaving Care Plan update, including Financial Plan change |
CFDU |
Director Community Services/Operations/State-wide Services (depending on location) to approve any Financial Plan changes |
Extension to timeframe for Leaving Care transition - young people over 18 years |
CAU – For residential care and ITC placements CFDU – For other placement types including Supported Independent Living |
CAU to approve placement timeframes for young people over 18 years in residential or ITC placements Director Community Services/Operations/State-wide Services to approve placement timeframes for other placements types DCJ contract manager to monitor through existing contract meetings |
Please contact your contract manager or email OOHCRecontracting@facs.nsw.gov.au if you have any questions specific to your service.
For general queries and questions about COVID-19, you can email COVID19.Support@facs.nsw.gov.au
05 Aug 2022
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
You can access our apology to the Stolen Generations.