Starting Year 11 in out-of-home care Year 11 is the start of the senior pathway high school students. Elective subjects and further education, training or employment provide the chance for young people to steer their education their own way. The years of high school can also be stressful, and can be particularly tough for young people in out-of-home care (OOHC), especially if they are leaving care as a result of turning 18 during Year 12. FACS is committed to helping young people in OOHC to achieve their education goals. Here is a quick summary of how to support your foster, relative or kinship child to start Year 11, and how FACS can help. The Higher School Certificate (HSC) The HSC is awarded to students who successfully complete Years 11 and 12 in NSW. It is a pathway to further study and it also improves likelihood of employment after school. The young person in your care will choose their Year 11 HSC subjects while they are in Year 10. Information nights for parents and carers about subject selection usually occur in term three. They will feel more confident about this choice if they have thought about what they enjoy, what they are good at and what might help them in further study after school. Vocational education and training options in the HSC School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships allow a student to work time and study under their apprenticeship or traineeship as part of their HSC. Some school based apprenticeships and traineeships can contribute towards the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), which students use to enrol in university. This option helps students who want to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship to stay engaged with school and complete Year 12, which is shown to improve long-term employment opportunities. Future planning By the the young person in your care is getting ready to start Year 11, their OOHC case planning will focus on their future planning and transition to independence. This means that with your help, and with the help of your caseworker, they will start to develop goals for their first few years after leaving care. Their case plan, which may referred to as their plan’ or ‘future care plan’, will guide them toward achieving those goals. ‘leaving
Starting Year 11 in out-of-home care Year 11 is the start of the senior pathway high school students. Elective subjects and further education, training or employment provide the chance for young people to steer their education their own way. The years of high school can also be stressful, and can be particularly tough for young people in out-of-home care (OOHC), especially if they are leaving care as a result of turning 18 during Year 12. FACS is committed to helping young people in OOHC to achieve their education goals. Here is a quick summary of how to support your foster, relative or kinship child to start Year 11, and how FACS can help. The Higher School Certificate (HSC) The HSC is awarded to students who successfully complete Years 11 and 12 in NSW. It is a pathway to further study and it also improves likelihood of employment after school. The young person in your care will choose their Year 11 HSC subjects while they are in Year 10. Information nights for parents and carers about subject selection usually occur in term three. They will feel more confident about this choice if they have thought about what they enjoy, what they are good at and what might help them in further study after school. Vocational education and training options in the HSC School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships allow a student to work and study under their apprenticeship or traineeship as part of their HSC. Some school based apprenticeships and traineeships can contribute towards the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), which students use to enrol in university. This option helps students who want to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship to stay engaged with school and complete Year 12, which is shown to improve long-term employment opportunities. Future planning By the time the young person in your care is getting ready to start Year 11, their OOHC case planning will focus on their future planning and transition to independence. This means that with your help, and with the help of your caseworker, they will start to develop goals for their first few years after leaving care. Their case plan, which may referred to as their ‘future plan’ or ‘leaving care plan’, will guide them toward achieving those goals.
Yr11-High-School-Transitions-Fact-Sheet.docx