A Glimpse at Foster Care in Canada
Below are a number of resources focusing on youth in foster care in Canada, with a particular emphasis on the challenges faced by youth when they age out.
First hand accounts of the foster care system from those who have lived through it:
My Real Life Book: Report from the Youth Leaving Care Hearings
A general overview of some of the challenges and barriers that youth leaving foster care experience, along with some supports that currently exist
“Life After Foster Care in Canada” (Macleans, Nov. 19, 2019)
A straightforward and easy to understand analysis of academic research and articles on outcomes for youth leaving foster care
Exploring Youth Outcomes After Aging Out of Care
Two reports that focus on the negative financial costs to former youth in care, as well as to wider society, caused by the aging out process
“The High Costs of ‘Aging Out’ of Foster Care in Ontario” (TVO Today, Jan. 5, 2022)
A very in-depth, pan-Canadian study that explores the varied causes of youth homelessness, as well as providing some preventative strategies
Without a Home: The National Youth Homelessness Survey
This paper reviews the literature on foster care and explains the issues that foster children experience. It also addresses why the foster care system is failing youth, and gives practical suggestions for solutions.
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