This research project examines the effectiveness of Australia’s supported accommodation services in meeting the needs of unaccompanied children and young people aged 12–24. It proposes principles to guide policy and practice toward a better system.
Unaccompanied children and young people experiencing homelessness are at risk of significant lifelong negative outcomes. Supported accommodation services are a critical response to homelessness; however, these services do not always meet this cohort’s needs. A strengthened system of care is required to better align services to unaccompanied young people’s needs.
In 2023–2024, 42,642 people aged 12-24 were supported by Specialist Homelessness Services while unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. This group comprised 15% of all clients, and 67% of all clients aged 12-24.
This group receives little attention in national policy and is inconsistently addressed across state and territory housing and homelessness policies.
A National Child and Youth Housing and Homelessness Plan could provide strategic direction for policy reform and drive service innovation, care standards and good practice across states and territories.
A service innovation fund enabling services to document, evaluate and share service design and models of practice could be funded by government.
