Listening to children and young people in out of home care: challenges and opportunities Christine Flynn National Policy & Research Manager CREATE Foundation Children as Experts in their Own Lives, Symposia, 3 November 2009

Core principle Participation in the cornerstone on best practice CREATE does this by encouraging children and young people to speak up and to be heard

Family contact is important but sometimes it is very disappointing.

What is CREATE? Australian peak organisation working with children and young people in out of home care Vision: All children and young people with a care experience have the opportunity to reach their full potential Mission: Creating a better life for children and young people in care.

CREATE works through Connecting Empowering Changing

Value of listening Children’s voices have, until recently, been rarely directly heard through research Children and young people have a right to be heard Rich source of information and insights not found any other way

How we’ve listened The Report Card series: children and young people surveyed; results compared to government responses. Be.Heard: consultations about experiences and quality of care in Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria Consultations on specific topics Youth advisory structure

Do workers listen? When I do see them they listen, but I don’t know their names. (No) When I speak to her answering machine and not her and she does not get back to me.

Being normal A lot of kids don’t know I’m in care which means I’ve achieved what I always wanted to achieve which is being normal.

On contact Even though I am unhappy with the amount of contact I have with mum, I wouldn’t want it to change. She doesn’t follow through with promises to stay in touch. I've seen pictures of her but I want to meet her to see what she's like. [Speaking about sister]

Speaking out Large numbers of children and young people have expressed their views through CREATE Report Card series since ,301 Be.Heard series since Specific consultations 387+

Challenges Accessing the children and young people and seeking their involvement Cooperation of guardians, carers, gatekeeping Gaining consent – children and young people themselves, legal guardian, carers

Challenges Capacity to understand, affecting method Sampling issues – sex, culture, location Rapport building takes time Disclosures, care concerns, support regarding emotional issues

Challenges Payment, incentives Managing participant expectations Providing feedback loop on outcomes Lack of longitudinal study: we don’t know how the same children or young people are faring over time

Hot news! Latest Report card: Transitioning from Care by Dr Joseph McDowell to be published November 2009 National sample of 471 young people aged 15 to 25 years –275 still in care –196 post care

Report Card or 63.6% answering said they did not have a leaving care plan or did not know if they had one 40% did not know where they would be living 34.7% of post care group experienced homelessness in first 12 months 44 (22.4%) answering said nothing special marked the end of their time in care

Young people said: I reckon people should be able to leave care when they are ready (past the age of 18), not in the houses, but still with the reassurance that you’re in care and have support.

more … It’s scary trying to find a place because I’ve never done it before. I feel like I am getting a bit of help with it. Leaving care planning: Not enough information and someone else was making all the decisions without listening to me.

more … I could have stayed with my foster family but I decided to get my own place… it has been a bit harder than I thought. I’m not thinking about it and no- one has spoken to me about it.

more… It's crap. Just being in care basically and knowing that your family don't want you and all that. What leaving care meant: Kicked out on the street.

more Accessing file: My caseworker avoids the question. I have been asking since I was eighteen. Leaving care: I was scared that I wouldn’t make it on my own.

Research publication is the launching pad for action

Challenges and opportunities for participants for governments for CREATE

CREATE’s agenda Campaign on release of Transitioning Report Card 2009: What’s the plan Building the Be.Heard to be a national program Develop and conduct a longitudinal study Youth Advisory summit and on-going consultation on issues young people identify as important to them Discussion papers on other topical issues

Looking back I want to talk to someone about how I am feeling and the sadness I feel. It’s been a life changing experience. A journey. Something I’ve learnt from. I’ve had to grow up younger than my friends.

Contacts Free Call: CREATE’s general website: Publications: Leaving care website: