Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-xxrs7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-19T09:37:37.468Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

It was daunting. I was 18 and I left residential care and there was no support whatsoever’: a scoping study into the transition from out-of-home-care process in Tasmania, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2020

Renée O’Donnell
Affiliation:
Monash Centre of Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Ann MacRae
Affiliation:
Baptcare, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Melissa Savaglio
Affiliation:
Monash Centre of Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Dave Vicary
Affiliation:
Baptcare, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Rachael Green (nee Cox)
Affiliation:
Monash Centre of Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Philip Mendes
Affiliation:
Monash Centre of Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Gary Kerridge
Affiliation:
Warwick Business School, Warwick University, Coventry, England, UK
Graeme Currie
Affiliation:
Warwick Business School, Warwick University, Coventry, England, UK
Susan Diamond
Affiliation:
Department of Communities Tasmania, Children, Youth and Families, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Helen Skouteris*
Affiliation:
Monash Centre of Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Warwick Business School, Warwick University, Coventry, England, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Helen Skouteris, Email: Helen.skouteris@monash.edu

Abstract

Young people who leave Out-of-Home Care (OoHC) are a significantly vulnerable cohort. No after-care support program to date has been completely informed by young people and their care team. This scoping study explored the perspectives of young people and their wider care team on: (1) challenges surrounding the transition process; and (2) how these challenges can be addressed. Semi-structured interviews and focus group sessions were conducted with 33 stakeholders from OoHC (i.e., young people in care; young people who had transitioned from care; carers; caseworkers and senior OoHC executives). Four themes captured the challenges of transitioning out of care, including: (1) inadequate processes underpinning the transition; (2) instability within the family unit; (3) financial challenges and (4) lack of independence during care. Stakeholders agreed that greater support during the transition process is necessary, including life-skills training while in care and a post-care worker and/or mentor to provide after-care support. These findings provide compelling insights into the challenges that young people transitioning from OoHC experience and possible solutions for how such challenges can be addressed. These findings will inform the development and delivery of a co-designed and specialised after-care support service for this population.

Type
Articles
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). Child protection Australia 2018–19. AIHW.Google Scholar
Berry Street. (2017). Evaluation of the Berry Street Stand by Me Program. https://learning.berrystreet.org.au/resources/evaluation-berry-street-stand-me-program Google Scholar
Campo, M., & Commerford, J. (2016). Supporting young people leaving out-of-home care (CFCA Paper No. 41). Child Family Community Australia information exchange, Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Courtney, M., & Hook, J. (2017). The potential educational benefits of extending foster care to young adults: Findings from a natural experiment. Children and Youth Services Review, 72, 124132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Communities Tasmania. (2019). Out of home care in Tasmania – What is out of home care? Department of Communities Tasmania. https://www.communities.tas.gov.au/children/oohc Google Scholar
Grace, R., Miller, K., Blacklock, S., Bonser, G., & Hayden, P. (2018). The kids say project: Supporting children to talk about their experiences and to engage in decision-making. Australian Social Work, 71(3), 292305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, G., Natalier, K., Mendes, P., Liddiard, M., Thoresen, S., Hollows, A., & Bailey, N. (2010). Pathways from out-of-home care (AHURI Final Report No. 147). Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.Google Scholar
La Valle, I., Payne, L., & Jelicic, H. (2012). The voice of the child in the child protection system. Research Summary 7. NCB Research Centre.Google Scholar
Lushey, C., & Munro, E. (2011). Participatory peer research methodology: An effective method for obtaining young people’s perspectives on transitions from care to adulthood? Qualitative Social Work, 14(4), 522537.Google Scholar
Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars. All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 8(3), 33513364.Google Scholar
McDowall, J. (2011) Transitioning from care in Australia: An evaluation of CREATE’s What’s the Plan? campaign. CREATE Foundation.Google Scholar
McDowall, J. J. (2009). CREATE report card 2009: Transitioning from care: Tracking progress. CREATE Foundation.Google Scholar
McDowall, J. J. (2013). Experiencing Out-of-Home-Care in Australia: The views of children and young people. Create Report Card 2013. CREATE Foundation.Google Scholar
McDowall, J. J. (2016). CREATE’s Go Your Own Way resource for young people transitioning from care in Australia: An evaluation. CREATE Foundation.Google Scholar
Meade, S., & Mendes, P. (2014). Interim evaluation report for the Berry Street Pilot Program Stand by Me. Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit, Monash University.Google Scholar
Mendes, P. (2010). From dependence to independence: Examining the support needs and pathways of young people leaving state care in rural Victoria. Monash University Department of Social Work.Google Scholar
Mendes, P. (2019). Young people transitioning from out of home care: What do public inquiries tell us about the state of current policy and practice in Australia? Australian Institute of Family Studies. https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/2019/05/06/young-people-transitioning-out-home-care-what-do-public-inquiries-tell-us-about-state Google Scholar
Mendes, P., Baidawi, S., & Snow, P. (2014a). Young people transitioning from out-of-home care: A critical analysis of leaving care policy, legislation and housing support in the Australian state of Victoria. Child Abuse Review, 23(6), 402414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendes, P., Johnson, G., & Moslehuddin, B. (2011). Young people leaving state out-of-home care: Australian Policy and Practice. Australian Scholarly Publishing.Google Scholar
Mendes, P., & McCurdy, S. (2019). Policy and practice supports for young people transitioning from out-of-home care: An analysis of six recent inquiries in Australia. Journal of Social Work, 20(5), 599619. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017319852702 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendes, P., Pinkerton, J., & Munro, E. (2014b). Young people transitioning from out-of-home care: An issue of social justice. Australian Social Work, 67(1), 14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendes, P., & Rogers, J. (2020). Young people transitioning from out-of-home care: What are the lessons from extended care programs in the USA and England for Australia? British Journal of Social Work, 50(5), 15131530. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaa028 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendes, P., Snow, P., & Baidawi, S. (2014c). Young people transitioning from out-of-home care in Victoria: Strength support services for dual clients of child protection and youth justice. Australian Social Work, 67(1), 623.Google Scholar
Muir, S., & Hand, K. (2018). Beyond 18: The Longitudinal Study on Leaving Care Wave 1 research report: Transition planning and preparation. Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Muir, S., Purtell, J., Hand, K., & Carroll, M. (2019). Beyond 18: The longitudinal study on leaving care Wave 3 research report, outcomes for young people leaving care in Victoria. Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Munro, E., Pinkerton, J., Mendes, P., Hyde-Dryden, G., Herczog, M., & Benbenishty, R. (2011). The contribution of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to understanding and promoting the interests of young people making the transition from care to adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(12), 24172423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smales, M., Savaglio, M., Morris, H., Bruce, L., Skouteris, H., & Green, R. (2020). “Surviving not thriving”: Experiences of health among young people with a lived experience in out-of-home care. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 809823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
St Luke’s Youth Services. (2005). Final report to the Colonial Foundation for the St Luke’s leaving care and after care support service. St Luke’s.Google Scholar
Thabrew, H., Fleming, H., & Merry, S. (2018). Co-design of eHealth interventions with children and young people. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9(481), 16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tong, A., Sainsbury, P., & Craig, J. (2007). Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): A 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19(6), 349357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

O’Donnell et al. supplementary material

O’Donnell et al. supplementary material

Download O’Donnell et al. supplementary material(File)
File 18.5 KB