Thinking About Leaving Home? | Kids Helpline

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Thinking about leaving home?

Leaving home is a big step and there are some important things to think about when deciding whether or not to move out.

When is the right time to leave?

When it comes to leaving home, it’s good to remember that everyone is different.

• The right time depends on your situation or your goals
• Some people stay home until they are well into their 30’s and others decide to leave much earlier than that
• If you’re under 18 leaving home might be more difficult as your parents remain your legal guardians until you turn 18 - for more information about the laws on leaving home before the age of 18, visit Youth Law Australia

How do I make such a big decision?

In making a decision to leave home, you might consider these questions:

What are the pros and cons?

Do I have a safe place to go?

How will this impact my life now?

How might this affect my life in the future?

Am I ready and able to look after myself?

How will I cover my expenses?

How will I feel if I leave home?

Leaving home can be an emotional time for some people and can bring up a whole range of feelings. You may feel:

Thrilled and excited! Sad about moving away from your parents and siblings Lonely and missing your family or your family's home cooking! Anxious while you’re figuring everything out Lost! Especially if you have moved to a new area Happy that you can spend your time as you please Energised and ready to try new things! Safe and relaxed - especially if there was some conflict at home

"If you're having any or all of these feelings, remember it’s ok to feel that way! The important thing is to take care of yourself."

It’s important that you make a decision that is right for you and your situation.

Talking to somebody can really help.

You could try getting advice from someone you trust before you make a final decision.

If you’re thinking about leaving home and need some support, Kids Helpline is always here to help.

Give us a call, start a WebChat, or send us an email and we’ll help you figure it out.

Wanna talk to people ✨just like you✨?

Join My Circle - the free, private, safe and anonymous social platform for 13-25 year olds.

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Find out more! This content was last reviewed 14/02/2018

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Important Information for Teachers

It can be helpful to have a discussion with your class prior to the session to get them thinking about the topic (not essential). Encourage your class to make comments and ask questions - the session is not about right and wrong, it's a discussion where everyone's thoughts are valid. It's equally okay not to speak up during the session, as long as students are listening (we emphasise this point because some sensitive issues can come up and students may need to process these silently). If you show enthusiasm and interest in the session, from our experience, your class will too. Although the sessions are pre-written, we make them as interactive as possible and have the capacity to be quite responsive to students' interest/needs. There is room for students to ask questions or raise issues that are off the chosen topic (the counsellor will make sure all the necessary information is covered during the session). Students are usually quite excited to participate in these sessions and engage very well. However, if you notice that your class is not engaging well in the session, please feel free to signal this to the counsellor and intervene to settle the class, mediate or "translate" some of the ideas into language or examples that you know your class will respond to. Continue to Booking Page ×

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