Almost 140 young people in care who have this year studied Year 12 were invited to a ceremony at Government House this week to celebrate the important milestone.

Governor of South Australia Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC presented certificates to the ceremony's attendees, who hail from across SA, with carers, family and friends also invited to attend the event.

The Department for Child Protection (DCP) is committed to supporting young people to complete their education and successfully transition into adulthood and independence.

Initiatives to support this include:

  • Education Champions, who work at DCP offices, residential care homes and non-government organisations supporting their colleagues to access resources and plan for positive education outcomes for young people
  • Distributing more than $1 million in grants since 2018 through the Dame Roma Mitchell Trust to young people with a care experience to achieve personal goals and development opportunities and contribute to their health and wellbeing
  • Supporting young people after they reach adulthood through the Stability in Family Based Care (SFBC) Program and Over 18 Education Initiative, which provide extended payments to foster and kinship carers, allowing young people to have continuity of care
  • Employing the largest cohort of DCP residential care youth workers in recent years, to help support children and young people in residential care settings.

Department for Child Protection Chief Executive Jackie Bray said: "I am incredibly proud of all the young people who have shown great dedication and have worked hard to achieve this goal – particularly those who have experienced difficult circumstances throughout their childhood and schooling years."

"Our department is working hard to ensure young people in care have all the supports and opportunities at their fingertips to enable them to achieve their goals," she said.

"Congratulations to the Class of 2024 – each young person should be so proud of the hard work and resilience that’s allowed them to achieve this milestone."