Throughcare and Aftercare Services
Who Are We and What Do We Do?
The Throughcare and Aftercare Team is based at Colonsay Resource Centre, Perth and forms part of the overall Looked After Strategy.
Throughcare is the on-going preparation and support for young people who have been looked after and who may soon be making the transition to live more independently.
We believe that in Perth, it is not possible to put an age on when throughcare support and preparation should begin and end. For us, this depends on the young person and their individual needs and circumstances. It can depend on a young person's own circumstances, their level of maturity and emotional development.
Experience tells us that if throughcare preparation and life skills development start at a younger age, it is better than leaving it until it is too late for a young person to develop a range of independent living skills. It is also important that they feel emotionally ready to move on.
In Perth & Kinross, we promote and work in partnership with service providers and carers to create a positive throughcare culture and approach, where young people are prepared and clear plans are made, well in advance of any move.
Aftercare is the continuing support, planning and guidance for a young person who has left care or a supported living environment.
In Perth & Kinross, this means supporting young people in practical matters such as setting up home, budgeting skills, seeking employment, continuing education. Aftercare can also offer encouragement for developing their own social networks and interpersonal skills.
We also believe that consistency is important for many young people and consistency can lead to the success of any move. Therefore, aftercare means for us in Perth that where necessary and appropriate, some aftercare support is continued to be offered by the workers or carers from the place where the young person has just moved from, or from a specialist team. These people are often the ones with whom the young person has built relationships and feel comfortable with.
Essentially, the notion of aftercare meets a young person's identified needs by providing a suitable package of support for a long as it is required.
