(WITHDRAWN) "I Wasn't Enrolled": Exploring Educational Narratives of Black Youth Navigating out-of-Home Care in Ontario's Child Welfare System

Background and Purpose: Black youth are overrepresented in Ontario’s child welfare system, yet little research explores their experiences navigating out-of-home care, particularly as it relates to their education. Across both the child welfare and education systems, anti-Black racism is pervasive and has proven to exclude Black youth from meaningfully participating in society. This results in isolation, instability, and difficulty navigating relationships with peers and staff. This study examines the educational narratives of Black youth navigating out-of-home care in Ontario, Canada. Drawing on the narratives of Black youth in care, this paper offers policy and practice recommendations for social workers and education professionals to provide more comprehensive supports for Black youth in care while they are attending school.

Methods: This paper uses data from 27 in-depth interviews with Black Caribbean youth (ages 16 – 26) with experience living in out-of-home care in the Greater Toronto Area. Of that, 17 participants identified as female, 10 identified as male, and seven identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Participants were first recruited using the first author’s professional practice network, followed by a snowball sampling approach where youth participants shared the project flyer with their peers. Interviews were conducted using a narrative inquiry approach where Black youth participants were asked to share their experiences navigating the child welfare system in a chronological manner. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a collaborate peer approach.

Findings: Three themes were identified from the data analysis: 1) child maltreatment allegations and apprehensions, 2) educational absenteeism, and 3) difficulty building relationships with educators and peers. Participants shared how the ongoing threat of child welfare involvement impacted their relationships with family members, reinforcing Black families’ mistrust in both systems. The narratives of Black youth in care also revealed how delays in their enrollment and limited access to academic resources while absent from school compromised the quality of their education. Many narratives highlighted the ways in which teachers engaged in professional misconduct by sharing Black youths’ confidential information in front of their peers or used severe disciplinary interventions. Additionally, Black youth shared how they navigated their status as a youth in care by building friendships with their peers, which often involved “buying” friendships as a mean to survive.

Conclusion and Implications: The narratives of Black youth in care revealed several gaps in services provided by schools and child welfare agencies. Ongoing training and collaboration between child welfare agencies and schools should prioritize identifying clear indicators of child maltreatment and educate professionals on the historical and ongoing impacts of anti-Black racism. School and child welfare professionals need to build strong relationships, inform Black youth of their rights and culturally relevant supports available, and advocate on their behalf to better support Black youth in care’s educational success.