Young People Leaving Care and After Care - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 43
About This Presentation
Title:

Young People Leaving Care and After Care

Description:

Where have we come from? What do we know about young people ... Christmas presents like all the other kids and if I'm not there for something, I'm missed. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:169
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 44
Provided by: Cash7
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Young People Leaving Care and After Care


1
Young People Leaving Careand After Care
Judy Cashmore After Care Forum Sydney 11 June
2003
2
Outline
  • Where have we come from?
  • What do we know about young people leaving care?
  • What do we know about the longer-term outcomes?
  • Where do we go from here?

3
Where have we come from?
  • No legislative provision for assistance after
    care (except discretionary training) in 1987 Act
  • After care as the poor cousin of service
    delivery at best informal and unfunded
    component
  • (Fredman Green 1994)
  • Results of continuing advocacy
  • ACWA Leaving Care Forum
  • AAYPIC now CREATE
  • Lessons from overseas esp UK, Canada and US
  • Timely independent research funded by DoCS

4
Where have we come from?
  • Development of specialist services
  • 1.2 m funding announced in April 1996
  • Allocated November 1996
  • ARC (Relationships Australia) incl abuse in care
    phone line
  • ALIVE (Centacare)
  • ACE (Burnside)
  • Murungbai ( Aboriginal state-wide)
  • Additional funding and expansion of after care
    services to provide state-wide coverage

5
Where have we come from?
  • Specific legislative provisions (ss 165-170)
  • in Children and Young Persons (Care and
    Protection) Act 1998
  • Appropriate assistance based on need to age 25
    years
  • Information re resources and services
  • Financial and other help re accommodation,
    setting up house, education and training, finding
    employment, legal advice and accessing health
    services
  • Requirement for leaving care plan in consultation
    with young person and family
  • Entitlement to personal information, documents
  • First After Care Forum March 1998

6
LEAVING AFTER CAREResearch and evaluation
  • Describing circumstances and establishing needs
    of young people leaving care
  • Stein Carey (1986)
  • Garnett (1992)
  • Taylor (1990) Thomson (1993) Brotherhood of St
    Laurence
  • Maunders, Liddell, Liddell M, Green (1999).
    Young People Leaving Care and Protection. NYARS
    Report
  • 2. Evaluating leaving care schemes
  • Biehal, Clayden, Stein Wade (1995). Moving on.
  • Broad (1998). Young people leaving care .. After
    the Children Act 1989.
  • Barnados What works in leaving care.
  • US (WESTAT) and Canadian research and evaluation

7
On leaving care
  • Multiple jeopardies
  • Experiences before coming into care
  • Lack of stability in care
  • Poor educational performance
  • Low school completion rates
  • Limited contact with family members
  • Lack of support through early transition to
    independence
  • (Maluccio, Krieger Pine, 1990)

8
After leaving care
  • Increased risk of
  • ? Homelessness and mobility
  • ? Unemployment
  • ? Poverty financial stress
  • ? Limited social support networks
  • ? Drug and alcohol use/abuse
  • ? Early parenthood
  • ? Poor physical and mental health
  • (UK and Australian studies since Stein
    Carey, 1986)

9
AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH
  • Cashmore Paxman (1996) Wards Leaving Care A
    longitudinal study. Sydney DoCS.
  • WARDS discharged over 12 month period
  • Interview group n 47/ 45 (4 not discharged)
  • Non-interview n 44 (10 not discharged)
  • Four interviews (1) Before discharge
  • with wards (2) 3 mths after (n 47)
  • (3) 12 mths after (n 45)
  • (4) 4 - 5 years (n 41)
  • Maunders, Liddell, Liddell M, Green (1999).
    Young People Leaving Care and Protection. NYARS
    Report.

10
FACTORS INFLUENCING OUTCOMES, TRANSITION
  • Positive influence
  • Stable positive experience in care
  • Mentor or advocate
  • Extended support
  • Family contact in care or re-established after
    care
  • CARING RELATIONSHIPS
  • (Maunders, Liddell, Liddell Green, 1999)

11
FACTORS INFLUENCING OUTCOMES, TRANSITION
  • Negative influence
  • Poor preparation and planning
  • Unstable accommodation at discharge
  • Unsuitable and unstable accommodation
  • Lack of support financial and emotional
  • Unresolved anger to family members and workers

12
STABILITY
  • Long-term placement for gt 75 time in care
  • ? fewer schools
  • ? more years of schooling
  • ? report better school progress
  • ? get on better with peers
  • ? fewer workers
  • ? more willing to ask for financial,
    emotional
    support esp from foster carers
  • Cashmore Paxman, 1996 WARDS LEAVING CARE
    STUDY

13
Long-term placement for gt 75 time in care
  • ? 82 say needs met cf 39 not LT
  • ? 18 say miss out on affection cf 70
  • ? 24 attempt / think re suicide cf 50
  • ? happier after discharge
  • ? closer to at home comparison group
  • Childs perception of security /stability more
    important than actual stability

14
Permanency? Stability? Security?
  • Stability (or continuity) is means to an end
  • ? sense of security and identity
  • gt Capacity to form relationships
  • gt Positive outcomes and adaptive adulthood
  • Not just continuity/stability of placement
  • Contact with parents and quality of contact
  • Siblings and extended family
  • School and friendships
  • Known and trusted workers

15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)
20
What help did you need?
  • Good stable affordable accommodation
  • Education / employment
  • 1/3 young women pregnant or parents
  • Financial support
  • Mental health issues
  • Contact with family
  • Advice

21
MANAGING FINANCIALLY
  • 65 usually able to make ends meet
  • But number have to
  • Go without or cut back on
  • Dentist 15 4 (46)
  • Clothing 6 15 (51)
  • Telephone 3 16 (46)
  • Food 10 (24)

22
SOURCES OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
  • Primary sources of help
  • Own family 17 (incl sibs, extended)
  • Partners 8 Partners family 6
  • Foster family 5 Friends 3
  • Asked about
  • NGOs 19 DoCS 10
  • DSS 13 Credit card 12
  • Gambling 8
  • No-one to ask 12
  • Not willing to ask 3

23
Perceived SECURITY
  • Coded as positive, negative, medium
  • Was there anyone ever feel loved you?
  • Anyone ever feel secure with?
  • Feel as if listened to?
  • Miss out on things other kids had?
  • Miss out on affection?
  • Grow up too fast bad thing?
  • Based on 12 months post data

24
SOCIAL SUPPORT
  • Continuing contact with foster family
  • Positive relationship with at least some family
    members (parents, sibs, extended)
  • Friends to rely on
  • Other social network (church, community)

25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
CONTACT WITH FAMILY4 - 5 years out of care
  • 93 have some contact with family
  • 48 in contact with parent/s at least monthly
  • 63 in contact with some siblings
  • 29 with grandparents
  • 24 with aunts / uncles etc
  • 56 have unresolved issues to sort out
  • Quality of contact and support varied

29
Contact with family ()
  • The other exciting thing I have contact with my
    mother now...Now I see her all the time but we
    dont really know each other as mother and
    daughter and are having to start from day one.
    She feels guilt and shame because she never
    believed me but as I say to her, I dont hold
    any bitterness because I cant afford to.

30
Contact with family (-)
  • I might see her (mother) five times in 3 months
    and then I wont see her for 6 months. I got back
    in contact last year after not seeing her for
    about 6 years. She rang me up she was in a
    refuge with no money and her boyfriend had beaten
    her up.
  • I havent had anything to do with her for 12
    years and until she grows up, Im not prepared
    to.

31
Contact with foster carersafter care
  • 60 had continuing contact at W4 but level of
    support varied
  • 13 had been in LT stable care 2 with GMo
  • 2 in ST stable care
  • 8 in LT unstable care (3 self-selected carers)
  • 2 in ST unstable care
  • 9/25 (36) would have liked more contact

32
SENSE OF SECURITY with foster family after care
  • Continuing contact with foster carers
  • Can manage contact with birth family
  • Feel they can ask for support
  • Emotional and financial
  • See as place can call home celebrations,
  • use as secure base etc
  • Would ask for support eg pregnancy etc

33
Contact with foster carers
  • No, Im happy with the way things are. We just
    live around the corner from them and Im treated
    as part of the family birthday and Christmas
    presents like all the other kids and if Im not
    there for something, Im missed.
  • Weve always been in close contact, they are
    family.
  • Id like them to make more effort so it wasnt up
    to me to initiate it all the time. I get the
    feeling that now that we have moved out that
    weve gone back to being foster children.

34
Better off in care? or left with your family?
  • 12 months after discharge from wardship
  • 78 better off in care but some
    ambivalent / wish other options or treated with
    more care
  • 18 wished left in their own homes or not sure
  • 4 - 5 years after left care
  • 46 more positive understand more now
  • 18 more negative they didnt care
  • 36 same or both ve and -ve

35
DOMAINS OF RESILIENCE
  • Employment (ever employed?)
  • Living arrangements mobility, homelessness
  • Education (completed high school?)
  • Drug and alcohol (ab)use
  • Mental health depression, suicide ideation
  • Criminal behaviour
  • Relationships
  • Contact, unresolved family issues
  • Partner, domestic violence
  • Social activity (McGloin
    Spatz Widom, 2001)

36
(No Transcript)
37
(No Transcript)
38
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS
  • Drug and alcohol (ab)use
  • 19.5 drugs (4 serious) 29 drink too much
  • Domestic violence
  • Turbulent relationships, few long-term
  • Mental health depression, suicide ideation
  • Future planning ?
  • Lack of supportive networks
  • Unresolved family issues (60)

39
CLUSTER OF DIFFICULTYn 11
  • All either unemployed or parents
  • Have to cut back on or go without number of
    necessities / services
  • Smaller subset have no savings, debts, and few,
    if anyone, to turn to
  • More likely to have been in unstable care
  • Stable / Unstable X 2 12.6, 2 df, p lt .002

40
CLUSTER FARING WELL
  • All employed or parents
  • Usually make ends meet and doing better than
    others of same age
  • Felt secure in care and more likely to have been
    in stable care
  • Significant mentor or belong to community (eg
    church, armed forces) and/or ability to turn to
    others for help

41
AFTER LEAVING CAREHelp Needed?
  • ? Finding and paying for appropriate
    accommodation
  • Establishing / setting up house
  • Assistance with fees and information about
    training and education
  • Finding and preparing for employment/interviews
  • Access to income support / financial assistance
  • Mentoring
  • Contacting family members
  • ? Access to health services drug and alcohol,
    sexual and mental health
  • ? Access to records, documents

42
POLICY AND PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
  • Stable and secure care
  • gt Education and employability
  • gt Caring relationships
  • Case planning and review
  • rather than luck of the draw
  • Family contact and stability
  • Family for life where possible
  • gt financial and emotional support beyond 18
  • Voice and choice
  • Ongoing support through to independence

43
COSTS OF INADEQUATE PROVISION
  • Unemployment
  • 46 neither working/studying cf 17 nationally
    (ABS)
  • Poor educational performance
  • Early parenting inter-generational effects
  • Drug and alcohol use
  • Crime?
  • Loneliness/unhappiness /? well-being ?

44
VISION FOR THE FUTURE
  • Greater stability and security in care
  • Every young person leaving care with plan and
    support
  • Clarity re State and Commonwealth responsibility
  • esp18 - 25 years
  • Housing, training and establishment support
  • Involvement of young people and choice of
    different forms and models of support
  • Proper evaluation of services
  • Accessibility and equity
  • Appropriateness and effectiveness
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com