When it comes to aging out in N.L., the system is ‘leaving a lot of young people behind’
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system → come → people
Researcher suggests province raise age limit, add mandatory transition planning
For a young woman in St. John’s, the anticipation of her 21st birthday was anything but exciting.
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anticipation → suggest → birthday
“It’s quite terrifying,” she said in a recent interview.
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she → ’ → interview
“It’s really scary not knowing what you’re going to do … what the future holds, I guess.
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I → ’ → what
Nothing is guaranteed.”
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Nothing → guarantee → ?
The young woman spoke with CBC News on the condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of her experience as a youth in care.
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woman → speak → care
Aside from a pre-arranged meeting with income support two months before her birthday, she said there was no plan to prepare her for aging out of care — when her voluntary youth services agreement with the province was set to expire.
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agreement → arrange → province
“I didn't feel prepared whatsoever.
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I → feel → ?
I was having a really hard time, even mentally it was taking a toll on me.
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it → have → me
I wasn’t ready for it,” she said.
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she → say → it
In Newfoundland and Labrador, youth who are in need of protective care between the ages of 16 and 17 can sign on with the province for an individualized youth services plan.
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who → sign → plan
In this province, youth lose access to their financial and social support on their 21st birthday.
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youth → lose → birthday
It’s one of the youngest age limits in the country.
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It → ’ → country
However, the province says there are exceptions.
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province → say → ?
Adjusting out of system can be challenging
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Adjusting → adjust → system
“I think it’s leaving a lot of young people behind,” said Shelby Arnold, educational program lead with Thrive, a non-profit organization in St. John’s.
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Arnold → think → John
Heavy workloads on social workers limit one-on-one time with youth and the adjustment from group care — where daily choices can be dictated — to sudden autonomy can be jarring, Arnold said.
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Arnold → limit → autonomy
“Often [social workers are] seeing people once a month,” Arnold said.
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Arnold → see → people
“Social workers don't have the capacity, even though they would be in the right position to do that work.”
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they → have → work
Organizations like Thrive try to fill that gap, Arnold said, but non-profits are not a catch-all.
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profits → try → gap
Madison Pretty examined the province’s youth services program while completing her master's degree in public policy at Simon Fraser University.
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Pretty → examine → University
Pretty spoke with youth who left the system, social workers and non-profit organizations that work with young people first hand.
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that → speak → people
“What we found was that what's in the policy manual, what's in the legislation, is not what's happening in practice,” Pretty said in a recent interview.
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Pretty → find → interview
“The young people that I spoke to really described not feeling like there was any really kind of transition.”
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I → speak → transition
Financial and social supports vary for youth who are in the child protection system depending on the province.
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who → vary → province
In Nova Scotia, for example, the government recently raised the age limit to 26.
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government → raise → 26
However, critics argue even that doesn’t go far enough.
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that → argue → ?
“Newfoundland and Labrador is lagging quite behind,” Pretty said.
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Pretty → lag → ?
“We're tied with one other province for having the youngest cutoff age.”
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We → tie → age
Pretty recommends the province extend the age mandate to give youth time to build skills without dreading a "looming birthday care cliff."
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province → recommend → cliff
She added it’s also one of the only provinces without mandatory transition planning, to prepare youth for independent adulthood.
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it → add → adulthood
Daniel Hepditch, an education outreach worker at Thrive, said things need to improve.
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things → say → Thrive
“If not raise the age, adjust the transition process and the phasing,” Hepditch said.
“
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Hepditch → raise → process
I think that our province needs to do something to make this better for our young people.”
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this → think → people
However, Hepditch and Arnold caution about the use of mandatory transition planning, empathizing with the importance of social workers being prepared to adapt to changes and approaching youth at their own pace.
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workers → caution → pace
The consequences of poor planning and preparation can be stark, according to a report released by a Senate committee in December.
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consequences → accord → December
The report offered a stinging assessment of the country’s child protection systems and the lack of support for youth transitioning into adulthood.
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report → offer → adulthood
Independent Senator Mary Coyle told CBC News last winter that far too often the system acts as a “child welfare to prison pipeline.”
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system → tell → pipeline
“When young people age out of care, where do they go?
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they → age → care
How do they feed themselves?
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they → feed → themselves
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
