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Youth Thrive believes that all young people should be valued, loved, and supported to reach their goals. To achieve this, Youth Thrive works with youth-serving systems, organizations, and partners to change policies, programs, and practices so that they build on what is known about adolescent development, value young people’s perspectives, and give youth opportunities to succeed.
For the past decade, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) has focused on addressing what happens to youth who are the most marginalized by society, specifically those who are involved in the child…
This synthesis is part of a series of periodic digests of COVID-19 related resources (guidance, news, & academic articles). The purpose is to identify emerging child protection risks/barriers, responses, and resource gaps based on the information gathered. Each synthesis analyses a different topic related to child protection during COVID-19.
This evidence synthesis analyses emerging practices and preliminary guidance for engaging children in the response to CP challenges during the various stages of COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks (e.g. Ebola). It explores both barriers…
The two-year project ‘Leaving Care – An Integrated Approach to Capacity Building of Professionals and Young People’, has aimed to build the capacity of professionals working with children and young people who are leaving care as well as to strengthen support networks for young care leavers. The project has been coordinated by SOS Children’s Villages International and implemented in cooperation with SOS Children’s Villages’…
Abstract
A strong rationale for the collective participation of young people in care regarding decisions related to their care experience is evident in literature and statutory reports. However international research demonstrates challenges relating to participation in the childcare system. This includes context specific factors relating to issues in the field of child protection and welfare, along with more universal challenges such as access and diversity of representation, the imposition of adult formats and agendas and limits to the level of influence achieved. This paper reflects on…
Abstract: This report describes the evolution of an independent youth-led organization for youth in and from care in Quebec. The emergence of CARE Jeunesse is presented and compared with two other networks in Canada. Factors that promoted and hindered its development are discussed particularly as they apply to issues outlined in the youth engagement literature. The board of CARE Jeunesse, comprising former youth in care, wrote this article with the participation of a university professor who is an adult ally to the alumni of care movement in Quebec. This report is the first publication that…
ABSTRACT
Family Group Conferences (FGCs) are a family-led approach to social care decision making. The fundamental philosophy behind FGCs is that families are the experts on their own situations and as such should lead decision-making. The model advocates that children should be at the centre of decisions about them and should be supported to have their say at their FGC. The voice of looked after children too often gets lost in decision-making processes. Children report that professionals make decisions about them, rather than with them. FGCs have the potential to meaningfully engage with…
This guide from the Annie E. Casey Foundation in the United States explores authentic youth engagement, including how it benefits young people, why it works and what it looks like in real life. The guide outlines the approach of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, which works to ensure that young people — ages 14 to 26 in the United States who have spent at least one day in foster care after their 14th birthday — have the resources, relationships and opportunities to achieve well-being and success.
The guide reviews:
- The four components of authentic youth…
The Kenya Society of Care Leavers (KESCA), the Uganda Care Leavers (UCL), The Better Care Network and Changing the Way We Care invited policy makers, practitioners, advocates and careleavers to a unique opportunity to listen and learn from two leaders of careleaver associations.
Special guests Ruth Wacuka of the Kenya Society of Care Leavers and Mai Nambooze of Uganda Care Leavers highlighted two recent documents that illustrate the careleaver experience within and outside of care (…
Abstract
Youth with experience of out-of-home-care (OoHC) typically have poorer mental health than their peers in the general population, and lack opportunities to contribute to service planning. Promoting mental health through leadership training may improve young people’s mental health and facilitate system change. The Bounce Project is a pilot youth-leadership mental health training programme co-designed with young people who have experienced OoHC. In this study, we evaluated the Bounce Project from the young people’s perspectives to explore the acceptability, successes and limitations…
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to synthesize and share the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative’s approach to youth engagement. The study’s findings communicate how authentically engaging youth can help both the Jim Casey Initiative and youth-serving systems achieve their desired results.
Research Questions
The study’s ultimate goal is to develop an understanding of how authentic youth engagement occurs and operates as part of the work in Jim Casey Initiative sites. More specifically, this study answers six questions, which are outlined in the Results section below.…