Assessing ABSTUDY home conditions for the away from home rate 010-02060130

Example

Scenario

1

Deprived of basic necessities

John lives in a house in a makeshift Indigenous community on the edge of a town. John's house does not have access to a regular water supply and electricity is produced by an aging generator prone to breakdown. John is deprived of the necessities of water and power.

Assessment

John would qualify for the Away from Home rate.

2

Threat to health

Kristie's parents become violent on occasions. Both parents try hard to provide a clean home for Kristie, but have been violent and abusive towards her in the past when influenced by alcohol. Both parents are apologetic the next day and regret their actions, but sometimes cannot stop when they have been drinking.

Assessment

Kristy would qualify for the Away from Home rate.

Example 2

Tamisha's home is a stable family environment with both parents supportive of her education. However her extended family is involved in a feud with another family in town that often erupts into violence in public. Threats of violence have been posted to Tamisha's father and rocks have been thrown through the window on a number of occasions.

Assessment

Tamisha would be approved for Away from Home rate because her education is impeded by the threat of violence in the home. While the threat comes from people living outside the home, violence from the threats is likely to occur within the house.

Example 3

Michael and his group of friends have been fighting with other groups of youths in town and causing trouble. Michael's mother wants to remove him from the influence of his friends and send him away to study. Normally Away from Home rate would not be approved as the issues concerning his mother are occurring outside of the home. However on closer investigation, Michael's father is abusive when he's been drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and terrorizes Michael at home.

Assessment

Away from home rate could be granted because Michael's actions outside the home were due to difficult home conditions inside the home that also impeded his study.

Example 4

Miriam lives with her mum and is in Year 8 at her local high school. The past few weeks there have been several incidents of violence between groups within her community. There has also been an increase in crime and loitering from mid-afternoon to late into the night. Miriam's mother is very worried and wishes to send Miriam away to boarding school.

Assessment

Miriam would qualify for Away from Home rate as although the conditions are outside the permanent home, they are in the surrounding community environment and are disrupting her ability to study at home. Note: this assessment is not permanent and must be reviewed if there is a change in circumstances.

3

Disruption to study

Example 1

Kirra lives in Broome in a three bedroom home with her mother and two brothers. Kirra has a room to herself. Extended family from communities outside of Broome use the house to sleep for long periods when visiting Broome. Sometimes Kirra has to give up her bed, and there are always parties and noise late into the night. Kirra's mother knows this interferes with her daughter's study, but cannot ask the family members to leave.

Assessment

Away from home rate would be approved.

Example 2

Jake is doing Year 12 and lives with his parents and four younger brothers and sister in a four bedroom house. Jake has a room to himself. While this would normally allow an uninterrupted ability to study at home, Jake's four siblings are all aged less than 5 years old. The siblings make excessive noise and constantly interrupt Jake with his study. The siblings are not old enough to understand Jake needs quiet to study for Year 12 and continue to disrupt him.

Assessment

Even though Jake has a room to himself, Away from Home rate is approved because of excessive noise that cannot be reasonably prevented.

4

Circumstances affecting entire communities

Example 1

Jipiga is a transient community in the 'long grass' 15km out of town. Thirty families live in makeshift housing at Jipiga which has no water, power or sewerage services. Services Australia staff regularly service Jipiga and confirm that all families living in Jipiga do not have access to basic necessities and meet the home conditions criteria.

A blanket approval of Away from Home rate can be applied to Jipiga community for residents seeking to live away from home for study or undertake an Australian Apprenticeship. Verification documents would not be required for each individual application.

Example 2

Milinkini is a remote community 200 kilometres from Tenant Creek. It is a wet community with significant and open alcohol consumption across the community. The community has a school but there are no resident police or health services in the community. Excessive alcohol consumption regularly leads to violence across the community that disrupts all activity within the community for hours or days at a time.

This violence directly or indirectly affects all residents both in the community and in their home. The Services Australia Remote Visiting Team and Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs staff who provide some services to the community confirm the conditions adversely affect all community residents.

A blanket approval of Away from Home rate can be applied to Milinkini community residents seeking to live away from home for study or undertake an Australian Apprenticeship. Verification documents would not be required for each individual application.

5

Not included as impediments to study

Example 1

Hannah shares a room with her 20 year old sister who is employed full time. Hannah wants to board away from home so she can have a room to herself for study and listen to her music. Hannah's sister understands the needs for Hannah to study in peace and stays out of the room whilst Hannah is studying.

Assessment

Away from home would not be approved because Hannah has an uninterrupted study environment even though she has to share a room.

Example 2

Peter has a sound home environment but has been mixing with a group of town youths who have been getting into trouble with the police. Peter's mother wants to remove him from the influence of the group by sending him to a boarding school.

Assessment

Peter would not qualify for Away from Home rate as the conditions within the home are not an impediment to educational progress, as his mother's concerns lie outside the home. Also, the conditions are only amongst his group of friends, they are not occurring in the surrounding community environment as a whole.