No Youth Is An Island: Shifting expectations of independence to interdependence for youth in and from care
Topic(s): 
Anti-Oppressive Practice
Child Welfare
NBASW-ATTSNB
Youth
Webinar event date: 
Apr 30, 2024 11:00 am EDT
Webinar link

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Webinar Presenters: 
Dr. Melanie M. Doucet, PhD Social Work, MIDST

Dr. Doucet has been working to improve the lives of youth in care for over 15 years. She is a former youth in care originally from New Brunswick, and is now based in the unceded traditional territory of the Mohawk Nation in Montreal, Quebec. She holds a PhD in Social Work, is an expert consultant, an Adjunct Professor at the McGill University School of Social Work and a researcher at the Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF). Dr. Doucet is a renowned public and keynote speaker on the importance of equitably supporting youth in and from care from a rights-based and humane perspective, and is an award-winning researcher. She continues to work as part of provincial, territorial and national youth in care advocacy communities on child protection policy and practice reform initiatives, and is currently leading the Equitable Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care projectalongside the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates, with the support of the Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC).

Description

Webinar Summary:

Research into the impacts of independent living programs shows that they are not effective due to unrealistic expectations placed on young people in care to be independent and self-sufficient. This webinar details the phenomenon of ‘aging out’ of care, why independent living/life skills programs are not effective on their own, and why new approaches focused on developing interdependence skills are best suited to young people in care. Concrete recommendations for policies and practices are also presented, from a youth-centered and trauma-informed perspective.

This webinar is intended to help professionals learn about and engage with:

  • The realities and challenges faced by young people in care as they transition to adulthood;
  • The conceptual framework for policy and practice: interdependence vs. independence and autonomy;
  • What works and what doesn't work to prepare youth in care for the transition to adulthood; and
  • How to apply the concept of interdependence in policies and practices.