We need to do better for our kids in care.




We need to do better for our kids in care.

In case you did not know - the research is clear: young people do not fare well when they leave care.

Study after study, both in Australia and internationally, tells us that young people that leave the foster care system are more likely to be unemployed, homeless, experience poverty, mental health concerns, and are at far greater risk of entering early adulthood with a criminal record compared to young people who have not experienced out of home care (OOHC).

 

It gets worse for some young people as well.

Young people in care are more likely to be socially isolated and lack informal social support from family and friends. There are particular groups of care leavers whose outcomes are at even higher risk such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, young parents, and young people with a disability. 

The pre-care experience of young people

Pre-care experiences, which most commonly have included trauma associated with violence and other forms of abuse, poverty, relational or housing instability, can all affect care leavers’ post-care outcomes.  The  research is really helping us to understand the potentially lasting impact of early adversity on vulnerable young people who, in spite of being placed in OOHC may continue to struggle with forming relationships, learning and regulating their emotions and behaviour. Those who work in the sector know, simply placing them in a safe environment, in and of itself is not enough to overcome the devastating impact of early trauma and adversity.

The in-care experience of young people

‘In care’ experiences affecting care leavers’ future outcomes have been found to relate to:

  • the stability their placement/s had offered
  • the quality and type of care they received
  • the quality and longevity of the relationships they formed with carers or peers, and
  • the quality of preparation for independence they were offered 

Researchers have also found the age that young people leave care is a determinant of their future wellbeing; being younger at the age of discharge is associated with worse outcomes.  In Australia, the Homestretch Campaign, advocating for all states and territories to extend care to the age of 21 years, reflects this emerging knowledge. Research and contemporary developmental theory also suggests to us that the developing brain for young people, in particular where they have experienced complex developmental trauma, may not have the capacity to make the kind of adult judgements required to live independently until their early to mid-20’s.

 

When do care leaver do well?

Canadian researcher, Roberta Woodgate who, along with her colleagues in recent years has scoped the international research literature reporting on interventions for young people ageing out of care. 

They found that the following is essential to ensuring that young people leaving OOHC succeed:

  • Housing Interventions

Young people who accessed housing interventions, in their transition from care such as post care support and transitional housing, did better than those who did not, not only in terms of housing stability but also in terms of employment, economic security with less school attrition and substance misuse. A key ingredient identified was that young people felt that most of their independent living needs were fulfilled as a direct result of supportive housing’.

  • Employment Interventions: Training and employment-oriented programs aimed to assist young people to transition out of care showed some positive results. One study reported that 60% of young people involved in an employment intervention found employment within three months of the training. 
  • Education Interventions: Education interventions offered were often holistic and included social, personal and informational support for young people to access education and achieve their goals. In one example, the ‘Foster Care Alumni Creating Educational Success’ program found that the retention rate in education for care leavers was higher than for young people who had not been in care!  
  • Mentorship: These programs typically offered socio-emotional support to young people who were transitioning from care using the vehicle of a positive relationship. Young people with a mentor were typically able to practice building relationships and regulating their emotions. 
  • Health: Health-related interventions includes rehabilitation clinics focusing on substance misuse, as well as mental health assistance in the form of counselling support, group therapy, and campus-based mental health treatment. Whilst there were some findings indicating lower rates of substance use or offending behaviour following participation in therapy, a key finding was that mental health intervention was typically an under-resourced component of aftercare programs for young people transitioning from out of home care.

 

We need to do better for our kids in care.

There is no excuse for governments to NOT put the money and resources into ensuring that young people who leave care have the BEST opportunity.

Like all kids – they deserve it.  The difference is that it is the communities responsibility to ensure it!

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