Stigma, rights, resilience and stability.

• Author: Watts, Juanita

Abstract

Representatives of the Youth Council of the Care to Independence Programme, reflecting on their personal experience and knowledge, identify the issues that are most critical to the ability of young people in care to flourish. The Youth Council's concerns focus on the areas of stigma (being prejudged as "kids in care"), rights (the rights to support past the age of 17 and to responsive guardianship), resilience (which comes of being valued, loved, given attention, supported and cared for) and stability (receiving good placements that last). The Youth Council's representatives took the opportunity of the Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect to speak directly to the social workers, service providers and policymakers present.

BACKGROUND

A ministerial review of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYF), together with other independent research, established that a serious gap existed in provision for young people leaving care in New Zealand. As a result, the Government gave Child, Youth and Family funding in 2003 to develop a service to support young people leaving care who cannot return to family or remain with caregivers.

The Transition from Care to Independence Initiative is a four-year Auckland-wide pilot contracted by Child, Youth and Family and undertaken by two community agencies--Dingwall Trust's Launch project and Youth Horizons' Ka Awatea project. The initiative is aimed at assisting young people who have been in state care to make a supported and successful transition from care to independent living in the community.

The service provides a "leaving care" team with four Personal Advisors from each organisation and a range of transition and after-care services. Youth participation is an important element, and a Youth Council was developed in order to provide a forum for youth to share their voice.

The Youth Council is collaboratively run by both Dingwall Trust and Youth Horizons and came into being in September 2004. Since then it has grown and developed to the stage where young people are taking active part in discussions and they feel empowered to make changes in a system in which they have been a central part. The Youth Council meets monthly and follows an agenda and structure that enable them to be part of the whole process, from facilitation to evaluation.

The authors of this paper, four young people from Dingwall Trust--Renee (17 years old), Janelle (16), Kenneth (17) and Juanita (18)--represented the Care to Independence Programme's Youth Council in presenting the following keynote address at the 10th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, symbolising "the voice of the nation that cannot be heard" of young people in care.

INTRODUCTION (RENEE)

In this paper, members of the Care to Independence programme's Youth Council will share their thoughts, insights and expertise on what young people in care need in order to blossom. This knowledge comes from their own and other Youth Council members' first-hand experiences and the continuing impact these have on their lives.

When asked what young people in care need in order to blossom, the Youth Council identified four important areas: stigma, rights, resilience and stability.

STIGMA (RENEE)

Hi, I am Renee. On behalf of the Youth Council, I am presenting our concerns about stigma.

When people judge us without taking the time to get to know us, it makes us feel like we have been robbed of the right to be treated as the unique individuals that we are.

Everybody says that young people are the future of this country. But when young people are having to deal with unnecessary judgements on a daily basis it makes us feel devalued, alone and disempowered.

All people...