Partnering to Independence: A Residential Care Response Keeping Young Homeless Parents and Children Safe and Together

ABSTRACT

San Miguel Family Center in New South Wales, Australia, provides support in short-medium term housing for young homeless parents and their children, followed by post-exit outreach support of up to 36 months. The service was developed and is independently operated by the Australian Lasallian charity yourtown. San Miguel’s holistic model of intensive long-term support aims to fill a key gap in the child protection system by simultaneously addressing homelessness, parenting, independent living skills, and child safety. Parents as young as 16 years, and their partners, come to the service with their children or during the last trimester of pregnancy. Many have grown up in out-of-home care, some have already lost children to state care and all are at risk of losing children to care. San Miguel facilitates parent–child reunification and prevents family breakdown where possible. In this case study narrative, we discuss the model in practice and outline key aspects of the service. We conclude by looking to the future, discussing key challenges, lessons learned, and tensions in the model.

KEYWORDS:

• Young parents
• homelessness
• residential treatment
• child safety
• safe parenting

Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge that this paper draws on and represents a range of expertise from across yourtown.

Notes

1. In the remainder of this paper, we use the word ‘parents’ to include young people who already have a child and those who are parents-to-be.

2. Residents sign a consent form that releases their de-identified data for research and evaluation purposes.

3. In the six weeks since data analysis, a further five families have had children removed. Staff report these removals reflect a rapid increase in the number of families with severe and complex needs, such as serious drug addiction and mental illness, being referred to the service. At the time of writing, investigation to understand the service implications has just begun.