Carinthia's Care Leaver: Unique support for young adults!

Carinthia's Care Leaver: Unique support for young adults!

On February 21, 2025, a significant conference found in Klagenfurt under the motto "At 18 in the lack of support? What Care Leaver need." instead of. This event was organized by the Diakonie de la Tour, the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt and Pro Juventute Salzburg, and collided with the International Care Day. The aim of the conference was to illuminate the special needs of "Care Leafer" - young adults who have spent part of their lives in public education and to show ways how this transition can be better designed.

Carinthia stands out because it is the only federal state in Austria that has set up unique contact points for Care Leaver in Klagenfurt and Villach. These facilities offer extensive support for young adults who are released from youth welfare at the latest 18 or at the latest. The offers of the contact points that exist since mid-2022 and are used by 60 to 70 young adults weekly are recognized by the EU Commission as a best practice. The accompaniment of these young people begins before they are released, which builds trust and prepares them for challenges such as looking for accommodation and financial independence, as the responsible Carinthian State Councilor Sara Schaar emphasizes. So far, over 200 people have been supported by these contact points that not only offer advice, but also create space for community activities and workshops.

unique support for Care Leaver

care Leaver face enormous challenges: While the average Austrian young adults at the age of 25.2 years old, those from youth welfare must live independently much earlier. They often lack social networks, and their independence occurs faster than is emotionally and practical for them. The Carinthian contact points are therefore of crucial importance for the integration and support of these young people on their way to a self -determined life. The institutions of the Diakonie Carinthia play a central role in this development and offer urgently needed help in a critical phase of life, as shown in the article by Diakonie.at . In addition, the need for such initiatives is becoming increasingly clear, as the discussions of the conference show.