This report was developed by Melanie Doucet, PhD(c) at McGill University, and released by BC’s Representative for Children & Youth.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

This collaborative photovoice research project aims to build upon research already implemented in British Columbia on youth ‘aging out’ of care. The Vancouver Foundation has conducted research through their Fostering Change Initiative, and released two reports in 2016: a cost-benefit analysis of extending government supports for youth in care until the age of 25 published in the Opportunities in Transitions, and a report summarizing preliminary results of the Youth Transitions survey. A Fostering Change Youth Photo Voice Project was also conducted in 2016 in partnership with the Society for Children and Youth of BC (SCYBC) with young people in care ages 15 to 19 from Abbotsford and New Westminster, focusing on issues related to the transition to adulthood and the rights of youth preparing to leave care. By focusing on pathways to long-term supportive relationships for youth ‘aging out’ of care, this project contributes to the existing work by adding a social support element to the findings. The research is also timely; a report was released in February 2017 by the BC Representative for Children and Youth (BCRCY) titled Broken Promises on the untimely death of Alex Gervais, an 18-year-old Metis teen who took his own life while in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. The report calls to the attention of the BC government the urgent need to pursue permanency for youth in care who are unable to return to their biological families. Given that the perspectives of youth in and from care are often left out of policy and decision-making discussions, this project focuses on incorporating and elevating the voices of youth who have ‘aged out’ of care on issues related to forming healthy, supportive and sustainable relationships with the people who matter to them.