Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Approximately 40,000 Canadian children and adolescents live in foster care; thousands age out of care between ages 16 and 19 each year. As youth transition out of care they are expected to live independently with little or no support from the government or their families. The extreme vulnerability of this population has been brought to the public's attention by several high profile deaths of youth who had recently aged out government care. A consensus has been reached about the need to reform the services that support youth as they age out of care; the planning of these reforms has been initiated by relevant government agencies in provinces across the country. Research has found that youth who have been in foster care have a high risk of suffering from mental illnesses. They also struggle more than their peers to transition successfully into adulthood: they are more likely to not graduate from high school, have unstable housing and employment, have low incomes, and be involved in criminal activity. Although many negative impacts of foster care have been established, there is a lack of research on the role of mental health in the transition into adulthood in this population. My thesis project looks at the impact of mental illnesses on key indicators of a successful transition into adulthood among youth (18 to 29 years) who have been in foster care. For this analysis, I am using linked databases that include indicators for the entire population of Manitoba. I am also conducting focus groups and interviews with youth living in Vancouver who have a diagnosed mental illness and have been in foster care. I will explore their perceptions on how to improve the mental health supports provided before and during their transition into adulthood. The evidence generated by my thesis will serve to inform the reform efforts that are currently being undertaken in Canada, and has the potential to significantly impact the long-term outcomes of youth who age out of care.