Support a young person facing homelessness

You are a Youth Worker at the Dandenong drop-in.

Simulated workplaceIntermediate missionCAQA Willow Community Care

This mission touches on a mature theme. It is fictional. If it brings up something hard for you, you can stop at any time and talk to someone you trust.

What is going on

Tayla Nguyen is 16 and has been coming to the drop-in for a month. She has been staying with a friend's family for two weeks and told Jarrah Williams that they cannot keep her past Friday. She does not want to return to her mother's home and has not said why. A youth housing referral was lodged last week but no one has called her back. Jarrah is on the outreach van and has asked you to take the lead. Tayla is anxious about being reported and has asked you not to tell anyone. It is Thursday afternoon and the weekend is close.

Jarrah Williams, Youth Support Worker
Subject: Tayla needs a safety and housing plan before the weekend

Tayla Nguyen told me at the drop-in that her friend's family cannot keep her past Friday and she does not want to go back to her mother's place. She is 16. I need you to take the lead on this one while I am on the outreach van. Read the youth intake process in the Client Intake and Assessment Procedure and the Safeguarding Policy, especially the part on child safety and mandatory reporting, then meet with Tayla, complete a safety plan and follow up the youth housing referral. Record everything in the progress notes and talk to Kai before you finish for the day.

Your brief

Engage Tayla respectfully, complete a safety plan with her for the coming weekend, escalate the housing referral, decide what you must report and to whom, and record everything accurately in the progress notes, while being honest with Tayla about the limits of confidentiality.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the child safety and mandatory reporting sections of the Safeguarding, Abuse and Neglect Prevention Policy and write down what you can and cannot promise Tayla about confidentiality.
Read the Client Intake and Assessment Procedure and check Tayla's record in the Client Register, noting the risk flags and the status of the housing referral.
Plan how you will open the conversation with Tayla, including how you will explain the limits of confidentiality before she tells you more.
Complete a safety plan with Tayla that covers where she will sleep this weekend, who she trusts, what she will do if she feels unsafe and how Willow will contact her.
Phone the youth housing service to escalate the referral and record the outcome in the Progress Notes and Case Log as a phone contact.
Decide, using the policy, whether you have formed a reasonable belief that requires a report to Child Protection, record your reasoning and discuss it with Kai Morrison before the end of the day.
Write a progress note of your meeting with Tayla in objective language, and update the Client Register risk flags and notes.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

Confidentiality explanation you will give Tayla
Completed safety plan
Progress notes for the meeting and the housing service call
Reasoning note on mandatory reporting
Updated Client Register entry

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.