(WITHDRAWN) Relationships Matter: Examining the Pathways to Long-Term Supportive Relationships for Youth Exiting Foster Care

Background and purpose: In Canada, youth in long-term government care who have not found a permanent placement are expected to transition to adulthood quite rapidly at the age of 18 or 19. This is due to provincial legislation across the country mandating child welfare agencies to release youth from their care at the age of majority. This contrasts with the experience of their peers, who tend to stay at home up until age 29 and remain interdependent on their support networks throughout their adult lives. Due to the cut-off of services, youth exiting care tend to have limited support networks, and most of their connections are formal and short-term. There is also a gap in research examining long-term supportive relationships from the perspectives of youth who have ’aged out’ of care. 

Methods: This Participatory Action Research (PAR) photovoice project was conducted in collaboration with 8 former youth in care ages 19 to 29 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The purposeful sample was predominantly Indigenous and racialized, female, and most identified as LGBTQ2+. The research aimed to take a closer look at the relationships that matter to youth exiting care, and how those relationships can be developed and nurtured over time. Photography training and facilitated weekly group discussions were held over the course of 12 weeks. Thematic analysis of the photographs was conducted as a group during the last 3 weeks of the project, with additional coding and analysis executed by the lead researcher after the completion of the data collection phase. The participants' photographs and accompanying captions were also showcased at a photo exhibit event open to the community.

Findings: Forty-one key relationship-related themes emerged from the data across three overarching themes: key relationships (10), barriers (22) and strengthening factors (9). Parent-like mentors, siblings and animal companions were identified as key family relationships​. Relationships to spirituality, culture and the land were identified as important, especially for racialized and Indigenous youth. A focus on these types of relationships was found to be lacking for the youth during their time in care. Key barriers to establishing and maintaining relationships included an accelerated adulthood, a focus on independent living vs. interdependent living, and paternalistic child welfare approaches. Key strengthening factors included supportive and culturally competent social workers, extended care and supports and peer-led advocacy. In addition, 34 concrete recommendations for change for child welfare policy and practice were developed as a group, across 12 overarching relationship-related themes.

Conclusion and Implications: Findings highlight the importance of including the relationships that matter to youth within child welfare decision-making and planning processes during and after care. Recommendations for change to child welfare policy and practice highlight the need for systemic investment in the development and long-term nurturing of those relationships. By doing so, youth exiting care have a better chance at accumulating social capital and building a social support network they can rely on during their transition to adulthood.