The career development of young people in care School of Human Services and Social Work

2 Research team A/Professor Clare Tilbury Professor Peter Creed Professor Nick Buys Ms Meegan Crawford (PhD student)

3 Career development integrating understandings about one’s self and the world of work planning, exploring, and deciding on future educational, occupational and life choices crucial early high school years – ideas about ‘what I am good at’ and ‘what I like to do’ life-long process

4 Aims and methods how young people in care develop ideas about their future work and careers current practices for preparing young people in care for their transition to work or further education Survey young people in care and comparison group not-in-care Interview young people in care (x 3), caseworkers, guidance officers, carers

5 Social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown & Hackett 1996) based on Bandura’s (1986) personal agency theory three central variables - the “building blocks” of career development (a) self-efficacy (can I do this task or activity?) (b) career goals or aspirations (determination to undertake a course of action) (c) outcome expectations (expected consequences of attempting a task or activity) mediated by contextual or environmental influences - ethnicity, health, personal resources, relationships, and social and economic conditions - that can facilitate or constrain the development of career interests and decisions

6 Survey questions Career aspirations: Four items from Career Aspirations Scale (O’Brien, 1996) about aspirations to being promoted and becoming a leader in your chosen occupation Occupational aspirations: One open-ended question, “If you were completely free to choose any job you like, what job would you MOST LIKE to have?” (Looft, 1971). Jobs were classified according to level of complexity and type (Gottfredson & Holland, 1996). Exploration and planning: Two subscales from short form Career Development Inventory (Creed & Patton, 2004; Lokan, 1984) Career decision self-efficacy: Nine questions based on the Career Decision Making Outcome Expectancy Scale (Fouad, Smith and Enochs 1997) about confidence in carrying out tasks relating to choosing a career Career outcome expectations: Ten questions based on Fouad et al. (1997) scale regarding expectations about ending up in the job you want Career barriers: Modified Perceived Barriers Scale (Howell, Frese, & Sollie, 1977), which asked students to indicate, “How much will these keep you from getting the job you want?” for 10 career barriers Educational aspirations: Single questions to assess educational aspirations of (a) self, “What is the highest level of education you expect to complete?” (b) parents (both with seven options ranging from Year 10 to University), and (c) friends, “How many of your school friends intend to complete year 12?” (four options ranging from Not many to All) School stability: One question, “How many times have you moved school since starting in Year 8?”, with three options ranging from Hardly at all (0-1 times) to Many times (more than 5 times) School engagement: 10-item scale devised by the National Center for School Engagement (Finlay, 2006). Sample items “Most of my teachers understand me” and “I enjoy the work I do in class”.

7 Sample Survey to all young people in care 13 years+ in Qld Same survey to 378 children not in care, via selected outer suburban and regional schools Matched cohort comparison group formed n=202 from each group, no significant differences between groups according to gender composition, age, or school achievement Interviews – 65 young people, 21 caseworkers, 27 carers, 21 guidance officers

8 In-care group more likely to choose less complex occupations that require fewer skills and less training more likely to aspire to social type occupations (‘help others’)

9 Career planning Lower self efficacy related to low levels of career planning (both groups) Less planning means lower aspirations and lower expectations about the future (outcome expectations)

10 Education variables Lower parental expectations lower educational goals (self and others) less school stability less school engagement

11 Environmental factors perception of internal and external barriers associated with lower aspirations for in-care group (v. school achievement for not-in-care) Many feel they are on their own Want to exceed the (low) expectations of others and to be ‘different’ to family of origin Value emotional and practical support

12 Casework caseworkers and guidance officers pessimistic about future work prospects focus was on behavioural and psychological issues, rather than future planning Placement stability is important but case goals must be broader Barriers - consents for school and extra curricular activities, birth certificates, tax file numbers, funding for training or higher education, driving licenses TFC policies – comprehensiveness

13 Where to from here? Career development strategies – raise aspirations, help to plan School success strategies – important to well-being of child

14 Career development strategies YP in care do not have the same opportunities as others, need purposeful, scaffolded career-related opportunities: Encouragement and guidance Part-time and casual jobs, work experience Access to careers counselling and advice Rewards for completing year 10 and year 12 Scholarships for higher education Job readiness courses that encompass job skills, organisational and socialisation skills Employment programs and traineeships

15 Acknowledgements Participants – young people, carers, workers, school personnel Australian Research Council Department of Communities (Qld) Education Queensland