Overview
This report details aggregate findings from a formative evaluation of two Auckland-based Transition from Care to Independence (TCI) services – Launch and Ka Awatea. The original impetus for this evaluation was the Modernising Child, Youth and Family Expert Panel Final Report, which highlighted a need to better support young people transitioning from statutory care to independent living. This report, along with further work from the Investing in Children Programme, identified these specialist TCI services as pockets of apparent good practice, which have the potential to inform the design of a national transition support service.
As an input to future service design work, this evaluation was designed to better understand how TCI services are operating on-the-ground, including key success factors and any challenges faced. The evaluation also sought to understand how young people experience the service and any outcomes they report, along with gathering feedback from others involved in its delivery. A cross section of people involved in existing TCI services were interviewed, including: 15 young people, 10 staff members, six social workers, and two key stakeholders from within Oranga Tamariki.
Key findings from the evaluation are detailed within the report. These findings are primarily descriptive, and mirror a young person’s pathway into, through, and out of, the TCI service.