Not having a driver’s licence can be a significant barrier to employment and social connection for young people leaving care.

A new partnership between AnglicareSA and the RAA however aims to address this challenge by supporting young people with lived care experience to gain their licence sooner and with confidence.

AnglicareSA Manager, Leaving and Post Care Services, Jenna Masi, said many young people transitioning out of care or those who have recently left often did not have access to a supervising adult to help them complete the 75 hours of supervised driving required to progress from a learner’s permit to a provisional licence.

Through the new initiative, the RAA will provide a trained and qualified driving instructor who will be available for four driving sessions of up to two hours each, every Tuesday and Thursday this year.

“For many young people in care or living independently, there simply isn’t someone who can sit beside them in the car the way a parent would,” Jenna said.

“We know this can limit their ability to find employment, pursue education, or stay connected with friends and family – things that other young people their age often take for granted.”

The program is open to young people participating in AnglicareSA’s award-winning Post Care Pathways program and Launch 180.

Post Care Pathways provides a housing-first option that focuses on supporting young care leavers between 18 and 25 years, while Launch 180 supports young people aged 16 and 17 intensively while they learn to manage the realities of living independently, supporting them to build their confidence, knowledge, and necessary skills as they transition out of the care system.

 

 

For Hamish, who is a tenant at the Post Care Pathways apartment complex, the driving lessons represent an opportunity to pursue not just employment but also personal interests.

“It is hard needing to use public transport all the time,” Hamish said. “I am so lucky these lessons are available to me because I want to get my licence so I can get into a trade like carpentry or plumbing, or maybe even disability work.

“But I also want to be able to do things like go camping so being able to drive independently will make it possible.”

Jenna said the partnership with the RAA was about ensuring young people had equitable access to these opportunities.

“We want the young people we support to have the same opportunities as their peers, so having the RAA come on board is incredibly exciting. I genuinely couldn’t think of a better partner than our state’s peak motoring body.”

Jenna said the instructor was carefully selected by the RAA due to their understanding of the experiences of young people, helping to ease the additional anxiety that can accompany learning to drive.

“It can be a big step for many young people to move outside their comfort zone and work with someone they don’t yet know,” she said.

“We talked this through with the team at the RAA and the instructor is keen to make it as stress-free as possible.

“To do that, he is happy for our young people to have their key worker in the back seat during lessons until they feel more comfortable being on the road without them.”

She said the driving initiative was a natural extension of AnglicareSA’s commitment to supporting young people beyond basic needs.

“It really gives them the wings,” she said. “We’ve helped secure stable housing and supported education, training, and employment – but access to driving is often the turning point, opening up independence, opportunity, and connection to work, study, friends, family, and community.”

 

 

 

RAA Chief Executive Officer Nick Reade said the partnership with AnglicareSA – supported by RAA’s new Community Impact Fund – just made sense.

“A driver’s licence is a gateway to independence, employment, and community connection, but getting the required instruction and hours on the road required is not always easy,” he said.

“Our Licence to Work program has been helping high school students get their driver’s licences since 2019. We are excited to extend that success outside a school setting for the first time to help young people leaving care.

“Providing an RAA Drive School instructor and car will help remove some of the barriers these young people have been experiencing and help set them up for the next phase of their lives.”