Pushed, Dropped, or Fleeing from Care: The Narratives and Adultification of Black Youth Who Have Aged out of Ontario’s Child Welfare System

Abstract

Black youth have consistently reported that when they are transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) into independence, they are not supported or included in decision-making, and they feel isolated and vulnerable as they face an uncertain future. Previous research has documented the ways in which Black youths' experiences in care are characterized by unpredictability and loss, but then care ends-and they continue to struggle. For Black youth in care, this transition can be exceptionally difficult as they are contending with the additional strain of doing so within the child welfare system and larger social context characterized by a loss of community and the persistence of anti-Black racism. Presently, there are no empirical studies in Ontario that investigate Black youth's narratives transitioning from OOHC; this manuscript seeks to fill this gap in knowledge. Employing Adultification and Anti-Black Racism Theory as theoretical frameworks, this qualitative study investigated the narratives of 27 Black youth with lived experiences navigating OOHC in Ontario's child welfare system. This study utilized narrative inquiry as a methodological approach. Three main narratives were identified: (1) the need for finances and a financial literacy; (2) narratives of aging out and (3) the challenges of navigating funding. To better support Black youth in their transition out of care and in independent living, recommendations for policy and practice include earlier transitional support, ensuring youth have a practical understanding of financial literacy, and educating youth about resources and their rights.

Child Welfare, Immigration, and Justice Systems: An Intersectional Life-Course Perspective on Youth Trajectories

“…Researchers have suggested that child welfare services might become involved with racialized migrant families over perceptions about socially or legally acceptable parenting styles, drawing unfair comparisons, often rooted in stereotypes, between Canada and a family's country of origin (Hadfield et al 2017). Alternatively, some researchers posit that systemic race-based discrimination, including instances of racial profiling, drives the over-representation of specific racial groups within the child welfare system (Akuoko- Barfi et al 2021;Bonnie et al 2022;(CWICE and JIAS 2022;Edwards et al 2023). Further, a lack of awareness regarding immigration laws or policies, language barriers, cultural safety, and the overall challenges that families face during the resettlement process can result in inaccurate assessments when families come into contact with the child welfare system (Dettlaff 2012).…”

“It’s Not a System of Care”: Black Youth’s Stories of Family Separation and Anti-Black Racism in Ontario’s Child Welfare System

“…Although there are instances where the child protection system may be helpful to families, research has consistently documented the shortcomings of Ontario’s child welfare system to adequately support Black families (Akuoko-Barfi et al, 2021; Clarke, 2012; Edwards, Chowdhury, et al, 2023; Edwards, King, et al, 2023). Black families have described how navigating the child welfare system can at times be traumatizing and unhelpful, leading them to question the necessity of OOHC as an intervention (Clarke, 2011; Taussig & Munson, 2022).…”

“…Black families have described how navigating the child welfare system can at times be traumatizing and unhelpful, leading them to question the necessity of OOHC as an intervention (Clarke, 2011; Taussig & Munson, 2022). For example, Black youth in OOHC reported experiencing placement and worker instability, instances of cultural loss, barriers to connecting with their biological families and communities, obstructions to their educational participation, as well as a lack of support that often extended to their transition from OOHC (Akuoko-Barfi et al, 2021; Edwards, Brisbane, et al, 2023; Edwards, King, et al, 2023; Taussig & Munson, 2022).…”

“…Once investigated, these racial disparities continued for Black youth across the child welfare continuum as they were 16% more likely to be substantiated for child maltreatment, 15% more likely to be placed in OOHC during the investigation stage, but 21% less likely to be transferred to ongoing services (Bonnie et al, 2022). Although only 3% of Black children and youth in Ontario are placed in OOHC (Bonnie et al, 2022), research exploring their experiences and outcomes has unveiled concerns about anti-Black racism in the form of unjust scrutiny, pathologizing, oversurveillance, criminalization, and the invalidation of Black caregivers’ ability to parent (Edwards, Brisbane, et al, 2023; Edwards, Chowdhury, et al, 2023; Edwards, King, et al, 2023; Edwards, Laylor, et al, 2023; Mohamud et al, 2021). Anti-Black racism not only impacts the caregivers’, but also has lasting impacts for Black youth who are taken into state care as it limits contact with their biological families which is associated with longer stays in OOHC (McWey & Cui, 2021).…”