From dependence to independence: examining the support needs and pathways of young people leaving state care in rural Victoria: data

The dataset is an output of a project led by Philip Mendes of Monash University and funded by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. It comprises questionnaires to obtain detailed information on the life circumstances of young people who have recently left care in rural and regional and urban Victoria (with a particular emphasis on indigenous and 35 confidential interviews conducted from 2008-1010 with 5 care workers and 19 young people. Following a longitudinal approach 11 of the original 19 young people were interviewed twelve months later in order to understand areas of stability and change in their lives. The questions focus on key factors that have influenced the outcomes for care leavers including particularly the post-care services accessed by the care leavers; the extent to which the services accessed are perceived by care leavers as meeting their needs with a particular emphasis on examining the outcomes of the Employment and Mentoring program introduced by St Lukes in August 2007; and the identification of barriers to accessing post-care services and gaps in service provision in rural areas. Participants in the first round of 19 interviews from December 2008 to May 2009 were interviewed by Leah Galvin and Karen Masman conducted the second round of interviews in February and and April 2010. The interview data was compiled and analysed by a Sue Meade, Monash University, using NVIVO. Philip Mendes has presented the data findings 5 times: at the Health, hope and resilience conference, University of Melbourne, 18 October 2010, to the Australian College for Child & Family Protection Practitioners, Canberra, 15 October 2010, at the Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, Melbourne, 9 June 2010, at the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies Conference, Sydney, 2 August, 2010 and in an invited address to the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Leaving care state wide practice forum.