Unaccompanied teens, trauma and homelessness: who cares?

In this article I offer some reflections on my recent research about highly vulnerable teens in Tasmania.1 This is a cohort of older children who concurrently experience lifetime trajectories of cumulative trauma, repeat homelessness, limited education, poor health, contact with police and youth justice, and repeat child protection notifications. The research focused on the experiences of children aged 10 to 17 who are known to police and/or youth justice and to child protection (but who are not placed on care and protection orders) and who also experience unaccompanied homelessness. It explored why some children come to experience such intense adversity and the kind of care needed to increase their safety and well-being.