CHILD

CHILD-WELFARE KIDS "ILL-EQUIPPED" TO FACE ADULTHOOD

November 2, 2005
CHILD-WELFARE KIDS "ILL-EQUIPPED" TO FACE ADULTHOOD

Children who grow up in the child welfare system are "ill-equipped to cope with the challenges they face" when they turn 18 and suddenly have to try to make it on their own, according to a new Toronto-based study. The report by the Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults found that young adults who had been in the care of child welfare authorities, or had been in foster homes or residential treatment centres, fared worse than 60% of their counterparts who still lived with their parents. They were more likely, according to a news release, to be "consigned to a cycle of persistent poverty, are more dependent on adult social assistance, and are overly represented in the mental health and criminal justice system ..."

The answer, say child welfare experts, is for the Ontario government to set standards that will help youth make a smoother transition to independent adulthood. "They need time to complete their high school education, to learn life skills, and they need adequate financial support to pursue post-secondary education or training programs when they leave," said task
force co-chair Susan Pigott, the chief executive officer of St. Christopher House, a neighbourhood centre in Toronto. The study recommends, among other things, that the maximum age for extended care and maintenance be extended from 21 to 24, putting
transitional programs in place that have proven to be successful, and looking at options or financial assistance that would allow these young people to receive further education or training.

"The results of the study are a further indication that the ideal environment for a child is his or her own family," explains Stephanie Carroll from Focus on the Family Canada. "Unfortunately, this ideal can not always be achieved due to a variety of circumstances. However, we have had individuals contact us claiming that the child welfare system uses tactics that are too aggressive in removing children from their homes. Perhaps - in addition to just trying to improve the situation of those already in the child welfare system - there should be a review of why some of these children are entering the system to begin with.