National Preventive Mechanism Expansion of assistance for young adults necessary During their visits to facilities, the commissions are regularly informed about problems that arise when the young adults under care reach their majority. Under the Children’s and Youth Service Act 2013 and the implementation laws of the Laender, once majority has been reached, there is no legal entitlement to assistance from child and youth welfare organisations. In the consultation process with the Laender, clear framework conditions in the Federal Fundamental Act on Youth Welfare (Bundesgrundsatzgesetz zur öffentlichen Jugendwohlfahrt) for the extension of assistance for those over 18 fell victim to budget cuts. All that remained was an authorisation to make discretionary decisions that enable assistance until the age of 21. Entitlement to assistance ends at age of 18 In the individual Laender laws, the requirements for granting assistance to young adults differ. Experience and statistical assessments regarding the number of cases where such assistance was applied for and granted or refused are not yet available, especially as the implementation laws have not been in force for long. During visits by the commissions, the heads of the facilities have repeatedly complained about major problems with the competent authorities regarding obtaining financing for continued care. There are many examples of such cases. The case of a 17-year-old woman from Upper Austria should be particularly highlighted. She had been motivated to attend a three-year school for tourism. With the help of her primary carer, she managed to successfully complete the first two years. Subsequently, the District Authority did not want to continue paying for her housing and care in a group home and argued that due to her good performance in school, no further permanent assistance was needed. It was not recognised for a long time that this development was only possible because she had the support of the facility. It took tough negotiations and the persistent advocacy by her primary carer to achieve that her costs were assumed and she could remain in the facility until she completed the training. Clear framework conditions a victim of budget cuts During the visit at a facility, Commission 1 spoke with a young mother who had lived there for several years and had turned 21 in February 2014. Several weeks later, the prospect of a council flat was held out to her. The facility itself funded the additional accommodation to bridge the waiting period, as other assistance would not have begun on time. They felt they were forced to do this in order to not risk the assistance already provided by putting the young woman and her child out on the street. In Austria, around 70 percent of all 21-year-olds still live at home. Responsible parents do not throw them out on their 18th birthday. However, if young people who are placed in out-of-home care do not have as much support from the pedagogic staff, they lose the opportunity to become adults gradually, complete their education and then be able to stand on their own two feet. 109