By the time he was 11, Christopher was no longer able to live with his mother, who was a sole parent and dealing with a mental illness. He had never been to school. Christopher was placed with a foster carer and arrived at school for the first time in Year 5. To help him catch up, he received additional tutoring arranged by a children's welfare agency. Christopher was eager to learn and by the time he was in Year 9, he was at the same academic level as his peers.

Christopher's determination saw him sit the Higher School Certificate (HSC) twice, in order to achieve the marks he needed to enter university. He succeeded, and started a degree with the aim of becoming a science teacher and to help other people. Christopher's extraordinary achievement saw him win an Outstanding Courage Award as part of Children's Week in 2005.

Through his first year of university, Christopher lived independently and supported himself with the help of Youth Allowance and part-time work. A family worker provided him with some extra help on a fortnightly basis, in the form of food hampers, financial assistance and counselling.

This year Christopher decided to take a year off from study in order to save some money. He has been working at a music/video shop full time and has just been asked to apply for a manager's position. As he has become more independent, his contact with the welfare agency has become less frequent, although his family worker still catches up with him to discuss his physical and emotional health, to help him with budgeting and put him in contact with other services should he need them.

With a strong, determined disposition, and ongoing support from the welfare agency, Christopher is destined to reach his potential and lead a full and rich life.

Christopher's experience shows how vital timely support and tailored services are for children and young people in care.

* not his real name