Coby spends almost all of his time on his computer, either playing games or writing code. It is the only place where the 19-year-old feels safe and content. But while his computer skills improve rapidly, his independent living skills need work.
"I want to get more skills at cooking, money handling … I'm wasting my money on stupid things," he said.
Coby has level two autism, ADHD and an intellectual disability; he needs prompting to prepare food and take medication. He lived with foster carers until just before his 18th birthday, when he was relocated into a supported independent living house in suburban Hobart, where he lives with two others.
"I get the help and support that I need … I know most of the workers that come, I get along with them," Coby said.
But moving is something he has been forced to contemplate four times this year — including into public housing — at the suggestion of child safety. He now fears that if he leaves the house, he will not be allowed to return. So he stays at his computer.
Coby missed out on critical support to develop independent living skills as a teenager. It was the responsibility of Child Safety Services to ensure his NDIS plan included this as he prepared to transition to adulthood, but his plan changed very little from age 10 to 17. The NDIS plan is how these supports would have been funded.
Child safety workers and support staff recognised this issue in emails, seen by the ABC. One wrote: "I am sorry that [a review] has not occurred for three years … his needs would definitely be different to what they were three years ago."
Another stated: "The plan has been rolled over multiple times with limited updates, resulting in outdated goals and potentially misaligned funding allocations."
Resource constraints were also cited: "Unfortunately the ongoing lack of resourcing in [Child Safety Services] and [Out of Home Care] makes it very difficult for us to respond quickly … there are so many demands on our time."
His foster carers feared what would happen when Coby turned 18, after their calls for supports did not eventuate. They received a government form stating the department would no longer be his legal guardian and "does not have any legal responsibility for the young adult."
Coby was moved into supported independent living, but his housing issues continued. While waiting to see if his new arrangement would get NDIS funding and approval, he started to receive offers of other housing, with a case manager even raising "couch surfing" as an option.