Presenters: Becky Anderson – Team Leader, Midland District. Professor Mike Clare - Researcher / Consultant. Abstract: The Living Independently for the First Time (LIFT) Project was developed and introduced from early 2014 by an interagency partnership in Midland between the Department for Child Protection and Family Support, Department for Housing, and Swan Emergency Accommodation (SEA). A workshop was sponsored by the Department for Child Protection and Family Support in August 2013 with a focus on homelessness and the needs of young people leaving care. Our thinking was dominated by the sense that we would help young people move forward not by just doing something about it, but by having a new way of thinking about how to do it. The LIFT Project is innovative and has reflected on interagency processes and developed practice tools while working with care leavers and the next cohort of young people about to leave care. The presentation will include a summary of recent Australian research evidence of pathways from care, the risks and costs of homelessness and the importance of the three stages of leaving care policy and practice. The interagency vision and partnership processes will be outlined, including some practice tools as they emerged during the pilot project. The presentation will reflect on outcomes for the young people and conclude with some recommendations for leaving care practice.