Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

As youth transition out of foster care at age 19 in British Columbia 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 across the province 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. Research has confirmed 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; for example, 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 how mental illnesses influence the transition into adulthood in this population. My thesis project will look at the impact of mental illnesses and how they are treated 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 will use linked databases that include indicators for the entire population of Manitoba. I will also interview youth living in Vancouver who have a diagnosed mental illness and have been in foster care. We will discuss how they think the treatment of their illnesses (or lack thereof) influenced their transition into adulthood and how the system of care could be improved to better support this transition. The evidence generated by my thesis will serve to inform the reform efforts that are currently being undertaken in British Columbia, and has the potential to significantly impact the long-term outcomes of youth who age out of care in the province.