scholarly journals Vulnerable childhood, vulnerable adulthood: Direct provision as aftercare for aged-out separated children seeking asylum in Ireland

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muireann Ní Raghallaigh ◽  
Liam Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
The State ◽  
Migrant Status ◽  
After Care ◽  
Systematic Exploration ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
Discretionary Powers

Ireland’s approach to after-care for ‘aged-out’ separated children is problematic. Currently, upon reaching the age of 18, most separated young people are moved to ‘direct provision’, despite the fact that the state can use discretionary powers to allow them to remain in foster care. Direct provision is the system Ireland adopts providing bed and board to asylum seekers, along with a weekly monetary payment. Separated young people in Ireland are in a vulnerable position after ageing out. Entry into the direct provision system, from a legal and social work perspective, is concerning. Utilising direct provision as a ‘form of aftercare’ emphasises governmental policy preferences that privilege the migrant status of aged-out separated children, as opposed to viewing this group as young people leaving care. In this article, utilising a cross-disciplinary approach, we provide the first systematic exploration of the system of aftercare for aged-out separated children in Ireland. In doing so, we posit two core reasons for why the aftercare system for aged-out separated children has developed as it has. First, doing so ensures that the state is consistent with its approach to asylum seekers more generally, in that it seeks to deter persons from claiming asylum in Ireland through utilisation of the direct provision system. Second, while the vulnerability of aged-out separated children is well-documented, the state (and others) ignore this vulnerability and are reluctant to offer additional aftercare supports beyond direct provision. This is due, we argue, to viewing aged-out separated children as having a lesser entitlement to rights than other care leavers, solely based on their migrant status.

Unveiling the experiences of young people in foster care: Perspectives from Portugal and Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 433-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temitayo K Adeboye ◽  
Maria das Dores Guerreiro ◽  
Ingrid Höjer
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Successful Transition ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
After Care ◽  
Transition Into Adulthood

This article examines the lived experiences of young people in the process of leaving the care of SOS Children’s Villages in both Nigeria and Portugal. Interviews were conducted with 12 young people and data were analysed using content analysis. Young people’s lived experiences were captured in three emerging dimensions of past, present and future experiences. The study recommends resolving young people’s childhood conflicts towards a successful transition into adulthood. It also has implications for policy practice in tailoring the present experiences in preparing young people for the demands of life after care.

Moving from dependence to independence: A study of the experiences of 18 care leavers in a leaving care and after care support service in Victoria

2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
After Care ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Rural Policy ◽  
Significant Health ◽  
Care Support

Young people leaving state out-of-home care are arguably one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society. Many have been found to experience significant health, social and educational deficits. In recent years, most Australian States and Territories have introduced specialist leaving care and after care programs and supports, but there has been only limited examination of the effectiveness of these programs. This paper examines the experiences of a group of young people involved in the leaving care and after care support program introduced by St Luke's Anglicare and Whitelion in the Victorian town of Bendigo. Attention is drawn to the impact of some of the key program initiatives around accommodation, employment and mentoring. Some conclusions are drawn about ‘what works’ in leaving care programs, including particular implications for rural policy and practice.

Social Work and the Education of Children in Foster Care

1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Aldgate ◽  
Anthony Heath ◽  
Matthew Colton ◽  
Michael Simm
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Children In Foster Care

To what extent should social workers advocate the educational needs of children and young people in foster care? Jane Aldgate, Anthony Heath, Matthew Colton and Michael Simm present the findings of a recent study.

‘Skills Protect’: Towards a Professional Foster Care Service

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 8-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Hutchinson ◽  
Jane Asquith ◽  
John Simmonds
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
Recent Government

Almost two-thirds of children and young people looked after by local authorities in England are placed in foster care. Recent studies suggest that the looked after population is significantly different from the general child and young people population in terms of mental and physical health and educational attainment. Failure to recognise and acknowledge the reality of the nature and needs of this population contributes to the current difficulties in providing sufficient and appropriate foster carers. Methods of recruitment, retention and support of foster carers still, in many cases, reflect a historical, now inaccurate, perception of the fostering task. Recent government initiatives have placed a welcome spotlight on the fostering service and are likely to result in improved services. However, the Choice Protects focus on effective commissioning of fostering resources, while necessary, may not be sufficient. In this article, which arises from the observations and conclusions of BAAF social work staff engaged in extensive consultancy with a large number of fostering agencies, Barbara Hutchinson analyses the current situation and proposes key features for the development of an effective fostering service. Her paper was written with support from Jane Asquith and John Simmonds

scholarly journals Selected aspects of shaping the adulthood attributes of clients in social work

2021 ◽  
Vol XII (2(35)) ◽  
pp. 115-129
Author(s):  
Joanna Kluczyńska
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Dysfunctional Families ◽  
Mutual Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Way

The article presents the elements of social work, which are important for shaping the aspects of clients' adulthood. The methods, techniques and forms of help should mobilize the client to be active and independent. In the process of help, it is important to build a mutual relationship between a social worker and a client based on the treating as a subject, showing respect and listening. Such an attitude towards the assisted person is aimed at strengthening him/her on the way to regain control over his/her own life, to build a faith in his/her own possibilities and  to take responsibility for his/her own fate and the fate of people dependent on the client. The social worker participates also in the process of empowering young people, who are brought up in foster care, and in the case of children from dysfunctional families, the social worker makes sure that they are not overwhelmed by the challenges of adulthood.

scholarly journals THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE STATE POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

2021 ◽  
pp. 164-171
Author(s):  
N. K. Popadyuk ◽  
M. T. Velikhanov
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Young People ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
The State ◽  
Youth Policy ◽  
Social Stratum ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Youth Activity ◽  
Personal Success ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

The article is devoted to the importance of the state youth policy in the modern social policy of the state. The paper shows that the state youth policy is an imperative in the current situation in the country. The authors also determine the relevance of the study by the expansion of the geography of state youth policy and the increasing number of its main subjects. The main purpose of the work is to reveal the content of the state youth policy and determine the directions of social work for its implementation. The subject of the research is the directions of social work with young people as a special social group for the implementation of the state youth policy. The paper shows the tools for implementing the state youth policy, reveals the directions for involving young people in active social and political practice, and in what forms it is carried out and it is advisable to conduct it. Focusing on the emerging trend of young people`s orientation towards achieving personal success and personal growth allows us to use psychological means of regulating youth activity in involving this important social stratum in solving the problems facing the country.

scholarly journals Aging out of foster care

Social Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Aging Out ◽  
Federally Funded ◽  
The Family ◽  
Independent Living Services

In the United States, as in many other countries, the primary goal for children who enter foster care is a permanent home. Children can achieve permanency through reunification with the family from which they were removed, adoption by a new family, or placement with a legal guardian. Although most children who enter care achieve permanency, some remain in foster care until they “age out,” generally between their eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays, depending on the state in which they live. For young people who age out of care, the transition to adulthood is not an easy one. No longer able to count on the state for continuing support, yet unable to turn to their parents or other family members for financial and/or emotional support, these young people often find themselves having to make the transition to adulthood largely on their own. Federal child welfare policy to address the needs of youth aging out of foster care has evolved since the Title IV-E Independent Living Program was created in 1985 to provide states with funding to prepare youth in foster care for the transition to adulthood. Three major pieces of federal legislation enacted over the past two decades have gradually expanded the supports available to this population. The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 established the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (renamed the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood), the primary source of federal funding for independent living services. The law mandated the development of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) to collect data on the provision of independent living services in fourteen domains, the characteristics of youth who receive those services, and the outcomes from youth at ages 17, 19, and 21 beginning in FY 2011. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 granted states the option of extending the age of eligibility for federally funded foster care from 18 to 21. To qualify for extended federal foster care, young people must meet certain eligibility requirements. As of 2020, a majority of states, several tribal nations, and the District of Columbia have extended eligibility for federally funded foster care. Most recently, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 allows states to extend eligibility for Chafee-funded services to age 23. This evolution in federal policy reflects advancements in our understanding of normative development, growing knowledge about the complex challenges young people face during the transition to adulthood, changing attitudes about the state’s responsibilities as corporate parent, and empirical evidence of the benefits of allowing young people to remain in care beyond age 18.

scholarly journals Exploring the multi-dimensionality of permanence and stability: Emotions, experiences and temporality in young people’s discourses about long-term foster care in Ireland

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1111-1129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Moran ◽  
Caroline McGregor ◽  
Carmel Devaney
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Care Experience ◽  
Relational Permanence ◽  
Temporal Dimensions

This paper focuses on qualitative findings on how young people in long-term foster care in Ireland interpret permanence and stability. We focus principally on subjective and relational permanence, emphasising the significance of these concepts for social work, while extending some conceptual approaches to permanence. Importantly, findings from this study highlight conceptual gaps in how permanence and stability are conceptualised in research and we outline an approach which more fully embraces the multi-dimensionality of young people’s life experiences and emotions. Recent studies underline that permanence encompasses several elements (e.g. ecological, legal). However, this paper extends current research in illustrating how Irish young people in foster care experience permanence and stability every day, and how these experiences embrace discursive, emotional and temporal dimensions.

scholarly journals Looked After Children: The Reluctant State and Moral Salvation

Genealogy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Mark Cronin
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Care ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Historical Factors

Over the past fifty years, public care for children in England has undergone a significant transformation moving almost exclusively towards foster care as the preferred mode of delivery. The most recent data from the Department for Education for the year ending 31 March 2018, reported that 73% of all Looked After Children (LAC) were placed in foster care with just 8% in residential placements. Compared to an almost even split of 45% of children in Foster Care (or ‘boarded out’) and 42% of children in residential care in 1966, the scale of this shift becomes apparent. This transformation has taken place in the context of a social policy discourse promoted by successive governments, which has privileged foster care as the most suitable place for children needing out-of-home public care. The main argument in this article is that the rationale for the state’s growing interest in children (in particular those children who are considered a social problem) and the emerging social policy solutions, i.e., foster care, are driven by particular political and economic agendas which have historically paid little attention to the needs of these children and young people. This article explores the relationship between the state, the child and their family and the drivers for this transformation in children’s public care making use of a genealogical approach to identify the key social, political and historical factors, which have provided the context for this change. It examines the increasing interest of the state in the lives of children and families and the associated motivation for the emerging objectification of children. The role of the state in locating the family as the ideal place for children’s socialisation and moral guidance will be explored, with a focus on the political and economic motivations for privileging foster care. Consideration will also be paid to the potential implications of this transformation for children and young people who require public care.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document