Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T23:55:12.524Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Young People in, and Transitioning from, Out-of-home Care and their Mental Health Issues: A Call for Evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2014

Susan Baidawi ,
Philip Mendes  and
Pamela C. Snow
Susan Baidawi
Affiliation:
Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit, Department of Social Work, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Philip Mendes*
Affiliation:
Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit, Department of Social Work, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Pamela C. Snow
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry & School of Rural Health, Faculty of Nursing, Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Philip Mendes, Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit, Department of Social Work, Monash University, PO Box 197, Caulfield East, Victoria, Australia. E-mail: philip.mendes@monash.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Young people leaving state out-of-home care are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young Australians, and a substantial proportion experience mental health issues. This article reviews the literature relating to the mental health of care leavers, highlighting the gaps in the current Australian research base. Available studies indicate that mental health issues may worsen during the transition from care, yet mental and emotional health may also be neglected during this stressful period. Furthermore, care leavers with mental health issues are highly vulnerable to poor post-care outcomes, particularly homelessness. Implications for policy and research are discussed.

Keywords

leaving careout-of-home caremental healthpolicypractice
Type
Articles
Information
Children Australia , Volume 39 , Issue 4: ATTACHMENT AND TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTICE , December 2014 , pp. 200 - 205
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akister, J., Owens, M., & Goodyer, I. M. (2010). Leaving care and mental health: Outcomes for children in out-of-home care during the transition to adulthood. Health Research Policy and Systems, 8, 10.Google Scholar
Baidawi, S., Mendes, P., & Snow, P. C. (2014). ‘Setting them up to fail’ – Systems responses to dual order Child Protection and Youth Justice clients. Alternative Law Journal, 39 (1), 31–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barth, R. P., Lloyd, E. C., Green, R. L., James, S., Leslie, L. K., & Landsverk, J. (2007). Predictors of placement moves among children with and without emotional and behavioral disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 15, 46–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bloom, S. L., & Farragher, B. (2011). Destroying sanctuary: The crisis in human service delivery systems. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Blower, A., Addo, A., Hodgson, J., & Lamington, L. (2004). Mental health of ‘looked after’ children: A needs assessment. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 9, 117–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broad, B. (2005). Young people leaving care: Implementing the children (Leaving Care) Act 2000? Children & Society, 19 (5), 371–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, S., & Wilderson, D. (2010). Homelessness prevention for former foster youth: Utilization of transitional housing programs. Children and Youth Services Review, 2010, 1464–1472.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cashmore, J., & Mendes, P. (2008). Australia. In Stein, M. & Munro, E. (Eds.), Young people's transitions from care to adulthood: International research and practice (pp. 23–35). London: Jessica Kingsley.Google Scholar
Cashmore, J., & Paxman, M. (2006). Wards leaving care: Follow up five years on. Children Australia, 31 (3), 18–25.Google Scholar
Commonwealth of Australia. (2009). Fourth National Mental Health Plan – An agenda for collaborative government action in mental health 2009–014. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Courtney, M., & Dworsky, A. (2006). Early outcomes for young adults transitioning from out-of-home care in the USA. Child & Family Social Work, 11 (3), 209–219.Google Scholar
Courtney, M., Dworsky, A., Brown, A., Cary, C., Love, K., & Vorhies, V. (2011). Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at age 26. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children, University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2008). The state of Victoria's young people. Melbourne: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and Department of Planning and Community Development.Google Scholar
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. (2012). Supporting young people transitioning from out-of-home care to independence in Australia: Good practice in 2011–12. Canberra: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.Google Scholar
Department of Health. (2011). Chief psychiatrist's guideline – Priority access for out-of-home care. Melbourne: State Government of Victoria.Google Scholar
Department of Human Services. (2002). The audit of children and young people in home based care services. Melbourne: Department of Human Services.Google Scholar
Dixon, J. (2008). Young people leaving care: health, well-being and outcomes. Child & Family Social Work, 13, 207–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, J., & Stein, M. (2005). Leaving care: Throughcare and aftercare in Scotland. London: Jessica Kingsley.Google Scholar
Dixon, J., Wade, J., Byford, S., Weatherley, H., & Lee, J. (2006). Young people leaving care: A study of costs and outcomes. York: The University of York.Google Scholar
Dumaret, A.-C., Donati, P., & Crost, M. (2011). After a long-term placement: Investigating educational achievement, behaviour, and transition to independent living. Children & Society, 25 (3), 215–227.Google Scholar
Fechter-Leggett, M., & O‘Brien, K. (2010). The effects of kinship care on adult mental health outcomes of alumni of foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 206–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, C., Inder, B., & Raman, S. (2006). Measuring the cost of leaving care in Victoria. Children Australia, 31 (3), 26–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ford, T., Vostanis, P., Meltzer, H., & Goodman, R. (2007). Psychiatric disorder among British children looked after by local authorities: Comparison with children living in private households. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190, 319–325.Google Scholar
Fowler, P., Toro, P., & Miles, B. (2011). Emerging adulthood and leaving foster care: Settings associated with mental health. American Journal of Community Psychology, 47, 335–348.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, R., Widom, C. S., Browne, K., Fergusson, D., Webb, E., & Janson, S. (2009). Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. The Lancet, 373, 68–81.Google Scholar
Glaser, D. (2000). Child abuse and neglect and the brain – a review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 97–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gonzalez, R., Cameron, C., & Klendo, L. (2012). The therapeutic family model of care: An attachment and trauma informed approach to transitional planning. Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, 32, 13–23.Google Scholar
Hannon, C., Wood, C., & Bazalgette, L. (2010). In loco parentis. London: Demos.Google Scholar
Heima, C., & Nemeroffa, C. B. (2001). The role of childhood trauma in the neurobiology of mood and anxiety disorders: Preclinical and clinical studies. Biological Psychiatry, 49, 1023–1039.Google Scholar
HM Government. (2013). Care leaver strategy: A cross-departmental strategy for young people leaving care. London: HM Government.Google Scholar
Hukkanen, R., Sourander, A., Bergroth, L., & Piha, J. (1999). Psychosocial factors and adequacy of services for children in children's homes. European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 8, 268–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, R., Everson-Hock, E., Papaioannou, D., Guillaume, L., Goyder, E., Chilcott, J., . . . Swann, C. (2011). Factors associated with outcomes for looked-after children and young people: A correlates review of the literature. Child: Care, Health and Development, 37 (5), 613–622.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keller, T., Cusick, G., & Courtney, M. (2007). Approaching the transition to adulthood: Distinctive profiles of adolescents aging out of the child welfare system. Social Service Review, 81 (3), 453–484.Google Scholar
Kezelman, C. A., & Stavropoulos, P. A. (2012). ‘The last frontier’ – Practice guidelines for treatment of complex trauma and trauma informed care and service delivery. Kirribilli: Adults Surviving Child Abuse.Google Scholar
McCann, J. B., James, A., Wilson, S., & Dunn, G. (1996). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in young people in the care system. British Medical Journal, 313, 1529–1530.Google Scholar
McDowall, J. (2009). CREATE Report Card 2009 – Transitioning from care: Tracking progress. Sydney: CREATE Foundation.Google Scholar
McMillen, J. C., Zima, B. T., Scott, L. D., Auslander, W. F., Munson, M. R., Ollie, M. T., & Spitznagel, E. L. (2005). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among older youths in the foster care system. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44 (1), 88–95.Google Scholar
Mendes, P., Johnson, G., & Moslehuddin, B. (2011). Young people leaving state out-of-home care: Australian policy and practice. Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing.Google Scholar
Oswald, S. H., Heil, K., & Goldbeck, L. (2010). History of maltreatment and mental health problems in foster children: A review of the literature. Journal of Paediatric Psychology, 35 (5), 462–472.Google Scholar
Patel, V., Flisher, A. J., Hetrick, S., & McGorry, P. (2007). Mental health of young people: A global public-health challenge. Lancet, 369, 1302–1313.Google Scholar
Pecora, P. J., White, C. R., Jackson, L. J., & Wiggins, T. (2009). Mental health of current and former recipients of foster care: A review of recent studies in the USA. Child & Family Social Work, 14, 132–146.Google Scholar
Pilowsky, D., & Wu, L.-T. (2006). Psychiatric symptoms and substance use disorders in a nationally representative sample of American adolescents involved with foster care. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38 (4), 351–358.Google Scholar
Raman, S., Inder, B., & Forbes, C. (2005). Investing for success: The economics of supporting young people leaving care. Melbourne: Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.Google Scholar
Salazar, A. M., Keller, T. E., & Courtney, M. E. (2011). Understanding social support's role in the relationship between maltreatment and depression in youth with foster care experience. Child Maltreatment, 16 (2), 102–113.Google Scholar
Salazar, A. M., Keller, T. E., Gowen, L. K., & Courtney, M. E. (2013). Trauma exposure and PTSD among older adolescents in foster care. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48 (4), 545–551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sawyer, M., Carbone, J. A., Searle, A. K., & Robinson, P. (2007). The mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents in home-based foster care. The Medical Journal of Australia, 186 (4), 181–184.Google Scholar
Stein, M. (2006). Research review: Young people leaving care. Child & Family Social Work, 11 (3), 273–279.Google Scholar
Stein, M. (2008). Resilience and young people leaving care. Child Care in Practice, 14 (1), 35–44.Google Scholar
Stein, M. (2012). Young people leaving care: Supporting pathways to adulthood. London: Jessica Kingsley.Google Scholar
Stein, M., & Dixon, J. (2006). Young people leaving care in Scotland. European Journal of Social Work, 9 (4), 407–423.Google Scholar
Stein, M., & Dumaret, A.-C. (2011). The mental health of young people aging out of care and entering adulthood: Exploring the evidence from England and France. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 2504–2511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taggart, L., Cousins, W., & Milner, S. (2007). Young people with learning disabilities living in state care: Their emotional, behavioural and mental health status. Child Care in Practice, 13 (4), 401–416.Google Scholar
Tarren-Sweeney, M. (2008a). The mental health of children in out-of-home care. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 21 (4), 345–349.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tarren-Sweeney, M. (2008b). Retrospective and concurrent predictors of the mental health of children in care. Children and Youth Services Review, 30, 1–25.Google Scholar
Tarren-Sweeney, M., & Hazell, P. (2006). The mental health of children in foster and kinship care in New South Wales, Australia. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 42, 89–97.Google Scholar
Tarren-Sweeney, M., & Vetere, A. (2013).Mental health services for vulnerable children and young people: Supporting children who are, or have been, in foster care. Oxon: Routledge.Google Scholar
Vinnerljung, B., & Sallnäs, M. (2008). Into adulthood: A follow-up study of 718 youths who were placed in out-of-home care during their teens. Child & Family Social Work, 13, 144–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, C. R., Gallegos, A. H., O’Brien, K., Weisberg, S., Pecora, P. J., & Medina, R. (2011). The relationship between homelessness and mental health among alumni of foster care: Results from the Casey Young Adult Survey. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 5 (4), 369–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar