supporting young people moving from care; plenary presentation
TRANSCRIPT
Presented by Shane Griffin at Unity
Through Relationship’s 2015
Conferencewww.careleaversnetwork.com
“UNITY THOUGH RELATIONSHIP’ IS A COLLABORATIVE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE GATEWAY ORGANISATION, CYC-NET (THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD & YOUTH CARE
NETWORK) AND EMPOWER IRELAND”
WWW.UNITYTHROUGHRELATIONSHIP.COM
Supporting young people
moving from Care
“Care Leavers’ Perspective”
SHANE GRIFFIN – CARE LEAVER
ADVOCACY MANAGER WITH CARE LEAVERS’ NETWORK IRELAND
11TH NOVEMBER 2015
www.careleaversnetwork.com3
Introduction
• Father, Boyfriend, Son, Brother, Uncle, Friend, I am just like you.
• I am all these people who just happens to also be a Care leaver who has spent 8 years in foster / residential care.
• Social Studies Graduate, who has worked with Young People and Adults in Residential.
• I have also worked as a volunteer and employees with people who are vulnerable people and marginalised groups.
• Advocacy Manager with C.L.N Ireland and volunteer with C.L.I
• Speaking from personal experience / attained knowledge.
4
Key Messages
1. Awareness of issues that Care Leavers
can encounter moving from care.
2. Results of survey that Care Leavers’
Network Ireland carried out.
3. Leaving state care Un-planned.
4. Dependency on state agencies
Childhood - Adulthood and the
weaning process to independence.
5. Returning to family of origin.
5
“AT A YOUNG AGE, A
LARGE BOULDER
WAS PLACED ON MY
SHOULDERS”
6
Issues that Care Leavers can
encounter moving from care /
Care Leavers input
7
Issues with
leaving care /
Care Leavers
Input
Acceptance
Aftercare
Consistency
Breaking the cycle / (default mode)
Contact with birth family
Education attainment
Expectation
Fall back / safety net
Familiar face
Financial hardship / debt
Freedom
Homelessness
Identity
Individualized plan
Information
Institutionalization
Isolation
Loneliness
Mental health
Normality
Parenting
Peer support
Permanency
Post turning 21 years old
Practical life skills
Protection
Self-discovery /acceptance
Socialization
Societal stigma
Substance misuse
Supported / secure home
Therapeutic support
8
Issues with
leaving care /
Care Leavers
Input(Continued)
• Care Leaver 1 (M): Turned 18 while
living with Foster Family, had sporadic
contact with birth family (B/F),
education advanced L.C – University
Degree. (Now Living independently )
• Care Leaver 2 (F): Turned 18 while living
with Foster family, Little contact with B/F
– separation / displacement, L.C – 3RD
Level (left before completion) –Emigrated – returned to college
Graduated aged 24. (Now Living
Independently)
9
Issues with
leaving care /
Care Leavers
Input(Continued)
10
• Care leaver 3 (F): Turned 18 in
residential care, built relationships with
extended B/F family, education
sporadic – 5 years on attained primary
Degree 6 years on attained Masters
(Now living independently).
• Care leaver 4 (M): Turned 18 with Foster
Family, sporadic contact with B/F, L-C –
3rd level Degree – Hons BA, (still living
with F.F).
Issues with
leaving care /
Care Leavers
Input(Continued)
• Aftercare applicable with one Care Leaver and N/A with other three.
• All attained at least one primary 3rd level qualification,
• Placement stability / security with 2 absent with others.
• All reported sporadic contact with birth family, missed opportunity while in care due to sibling separation, another found extended family with time / maturity.
• All Care Leavers, found their place in the world with time, maturity, various routes were taken in doing so.
• All Care Leavers, felt under prepared for adult life and all struggled with this if not upon turning eighteen, some years later.
11
Issues with
leaving care /
Care Leavers
Input(Continued)
My Personal Experience
• Left Care just before 14th Birthday from Residential Care, UN-Planned.
• Contact with Sibling's was sporadic.
• Default mode – pre care experience.
• Built relationships with sibling's and extended family, with time.
• Secondary education was chaotic, recently (2015) attained 3rd level qualification.
• Days after turning 18 living independently, out of necessity.
• Countless missed opportunities – Survival mode / Care provider.
12
All Care Leavers are “Superhero’s” 13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHXXktQcd-g
Survey of Care Leavers
by
14
15
0, 0%
10, 9%
17, 16%
27, 26%
49, 46%
3, 3%
Q 1) How many years were you in care ?
Less than 1 year
1 to 3 years
4 to 7 years
7 to 10 years
Greater than 10 years
Don’t know
Care Leavers’ Network Ireland 2015
16
16, 16%
40, 40%
42, 41%
3, 3%
Q2) Did you feel you had a choice in decisions about
your life, when you were in care ?
Often
Sometimes
Never
Don’t know
Care Leavers’ Network Ireland 2015
17
23, 20%
51, 45%
25, 22%
15, 13%
Q 3) Do you think that adults who were making
decisions about your life, listened to you ?
Often
Sometimes
Never
Don't Know
Care Leavers’ Network Ireland 2015
18
25, 25%
60, 60%
13, 13%
2, 2%
Q 4) Overall do you think that decisions were made in
your best interest ?
Often
Sometimes
Never
Don’t know
Care Leavers’ Network Ireland 2015
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39, 39%
55, 55%
6, 6%
Q 5) If adoption from long term foster care was an
option, would you have wanted it ?
Yes No Don’t know
Care Leavers’ Network Ireland 2015
Leaving state care Un-Planned /
Returning to family my birth family.
“A personal story”
20
Dependency on state agencies
and the weaning process;
“A personal perspective”
21
“Thankfully today I can say,
that boulder has become a
small pebble that I will carry
forever”
Older Shane – Care Leaver
22
”
“ Believe & never loose
sight of your dream(s),
through all darkness
there is light
People Say: “The sky’s, the limit”
I say: People go to space. . .
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Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you
for listening. Any question’s . . .
Please feel free to take a pebble,
as a token to you, of my gratitude.
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