Quebecers who were under youth protection less likely to graduate: study

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Young people who spent time in the care of Quebec youth protection authorities are less likely to graduate from high school or get a job than their peers, according to a government-commissioned study.

The study, conducted by researchers from several Quebec universities, found that only 37 per cent of youth in care had graduated from high school by the time they turned 21, compared to 86 per cent of all Quebecers.

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It also found that a third of 21-year-olds who had been in care were not employed or attending school or a training program, compared to less than 10 per cent of all Quebecers of the same age.

“The employment difficulties faced by these young people reveal institutional failures that result in significant social disadvantages and inequalities,” María Eugenia Longo, a professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research and one of the study’s lead authors, said in a statement.

The study found that more than 2,000 young people leaving care each year need more support to prepare for adult life and ensure they have a stable living environment as soon as possible once they leave youth protection.

The researchers also found that unstable living environments, such as placement changes within youth protection, make it more difficult for young people to remain employed, noting that young people still in care often had to leave their jobs. or change schools if they were transferred.

Jessica Côté-Guimond, director of a collective of formerly looked after people known as Le Collectif Ex-Placé DPJ, said children are placed in an average of five to nine different living environments while in the youth protection system. .

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“Residential instability during placement is one of the most predictive factors for instability in adult life,” he said in an interview, adding that those who had more instability when in care were at greater risk of becoming homeless, having mental health problems or “not being in training or employment.”

Côté-Guimond said young Quebecers in care need more resources as they age and leave the system.

“What this really tells us is that there is a great lack of support, of accompaniment to help young people in their transition to adulthood,” he said.

Côté-Guimond said other provinces, such as British Columbia and Ontario, have done a better job helping children leave care. And while there is a program in Quebec that offers financial aid and tutoring, it only exists in four of 17 regions, creating inequalities within the province.

He said support for young people should come from the education, higher education and employment departments, as well as youth protection authorities.

More psychological help is needed for children suffering from trauma and those with learning problems, Côté-Guimond said, adding that resources for that type of support are often limited in schools.

Many young people who have gone through the youth protection system end up in adult education programs that don’t offer the kind of specialized support they need, he said.

The study, carried out between February 2023 and February 2024, included data from 1,136 young people aged 16 to 24 who had been or were in youth protection. The researchers also interviewed 30 of those young people.

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