Paul St Adolescent Residential Program
Paul Street is an adolescent residential unit accommodating five high needs young people, male and female, aged between 12 and 18 years, with final orders allocating parental responsibility to the Minister for the Department of Community Services (DOCS). The Paul Street Program offers high quality, intensive care and support to assist young people achieve stability, safety and security, with a view to preparing them for independent living or other permanent care placement.
The young people are likely to demonstrate challenging behaviour and have difficulty in maintaining regular attendance at school or finding employment. The length of stay in the program is medium to long term and behaviour management planning is an integral part of the program.
ANGLICARE has succeeded in providing high quality care for young people who are presenting with these increased needs and understands that they are part of the population of young people who benefit from residential care. ANGLICARE views residential care as a positive alternative care option for young people for whom foster care is not suitable.
The primary case management responsibility for the young people at Paul St is with ANGLICARE. An ANGLICARE caseworker provides support for the young people and ensures implementation of agreed case plans. Direct care workers provide daily care, guidance and support. A direct care worker is assigned to each resident as that young person’s key worker. There is an integrated wraparound support service provided, and external services are accessed as needed, including health, education, counselling, and employment services.
Young people are expected to be attending school or engaged in other educational or vocational training during the week. Life skills education can also form part of a young person’s attainment of goals as part of the program. They participate fully in the running of the household and enjoy recreational and social activities together. There is meal preparation, shopping and taking care of pets. In many ways, the young people are encouraged to make the Paul Street house their home.
The referral procedure for Paul Street includes a thorough pre-placement assessment and matching of new referrals to the young people already living in the program. Referrals are taken from DOCS with priority given to referrals from the DOCS Metro West region.
When a resident is to leave the program, a leaving care plan is developed and aftercare supports identified.
The program is administered through ANGLICARE’s Out-of-Home Care Services team, based at Telopea. Paul Street is one of four OOHC programs run by ANGLICARE, and is part of the Child, Youth and Family Services Department of ANGLICARE’s Community Care Division.
