About
Children and young people living in an out-of-home care setting continue to encounter inconsistent service quality and persistent poor outcomes despite there being more than eighty Australian government inquiries into the child protection system since 1852. A young person in care will encounter increased risk of material and educational disadvantage, social marginalisation and exclusion. Such disadvantage continues into later life with care experienced adults facing poorer health and wellbeing outcomes, increased likelihood of spending time in prison or psychiatric facilities and are at higher risk of experiencing exploitation or homelessness. In particular, Queensland’s children in care numbers are increasing at such an alarming rate, that over the last 5 years numbers have surpassed the national average. In comparison to other states and territories the number of children living in a residential care setting in the state of Queensland is the highest.
The premise of a child or young person in care, has been influenced by a long-standing deficit discourse/ pathology-based model, which transcends the message of hopelessness. By adopting an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach, this research project aims to examine the lived experience, educational perspectives and perceptions of practice and policy development of young people in care (12 years and older); individuals responsible for providing their education and those in a caring capacity in the state of Queensland. Semi-structured interviews of approximately up to one hour duration using framework analysis (FA) will examine the multi-layered perspectives collected from participants, allowing interpretation of key patterns and themes generated from the interview recordings and transcripts.
Research questions will particularly focus on identifying: What enables and constrains young people in care to thrive in school? How do these enablers and constraints influence the educational experiences of young people in care? What opportunities can be explored or currently exist that might develop and enhance targeted intervention and support to improve educational outcomes for young people in care?
It is envisaged this research will provide theoretical and practical evidence to support changes in practice towards a strength-based model of support for children and young people in care. Specifically make recommendations for carers and educators training and practice and have the potential to have a meaningful contribution to the development of enhanced targeted intervention and support to improve outcomes within care and educational settings.