Ms Kate Duggan:

In terms of the legal basis, young people are entitled to the aftercare service. It is important that it is not just matter of the financial supports and that there is a much wider service to support them to access therapeutic services and housing if they have been in the care of the State for more than 12 months between the ages of 13 and 18. Those are the broad parameters we have to work with under the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015. It is important that young people who have been known to us or who have been in care are entitled to access their aftercare support services, apart from the allowance. In the case the Senator has described, if that young person has been in care, has dropped out of education or has deferred, he or she can access education until he or she is 19 years old, and the young person is still entitled to the same supports and services.