The Educational Outcomes of Young People 4–5 Years after Leaving Care: An Australian Perspective

Abstract

Townsend focus on the educational and employment pathways and outcomes for young people after leaving care in Australia, based on a longitudinal study of young people 'ageing' out of care in New South Wales. Consistent with the findings of other research on the educational performance and attainment of children and young people in care, the young people leaving care in this study were less likely to have completed their secondary schooling than others their age in the general population. Four to five years after leaving care, they were much less likely than their peers to be in full-time work and/or education. Many had a history of part-time and casual work in poorly paid and low-skill jobs, and over half the young women had had children. Those who had completed Year 12, however, were more likely to be employed or studying, and to be faring well across a number of areas compared with those who did not complete Year 12. The more stable and secure they had been in care, the more years of schooling they completed, and the better they were faring 4-5 years after leaving care.

The Spiral to Recovery: An Australian Model for Therapeutic Residential Care

“…Many authors also comment, that along with the stresses and strains felt by care givers and workers in the OOHC system and the poor attention paid to OOHC politically and academically, the national data indicates that we are continuing to fail to halt the rise of children coming into care, the rise in placement breakdown, poor reunification rates, poor educational outcomes, and the poor social and emotional health and wellbeing of children in care (Barber, 2001;Carter, 2004;Cashmore, Paxman, & Townsend, 2007). The National Standards for OOHC: Consultation Paper (2010) states that it is 'widely reported that children who have been placed in OOHC have poorer life outcomes than other children' (FACSIA, 2010).…”

One size does not fit all: the educational needs of children in out-of-home care

“…But the experience of disrupted schooling makes this difficult and usually means they lag academically behind their classroom peers. This, along with many other barriers they face, makes them susceptible to early leaving (Cashmore and Paxman, 1996, 2006, 2007Cashmore, Paxman and Townsend, 2007;Montserrat, Casas and Malo, 2013). Making the children aware of the benefits of education and the options available to them is, therefore, a crucial aspect of motivational behaviour.…”

A forgotten cohort? Including people from out-of-home care in Australian higher education policy

“…Several research studies, however, have investigated the educational outcomes of this cohort. The majority of these studies have focused on school level education and found that students in care experience numerous educational challenges and disruptions at school (Tilbury, 2010;Wise, Pollock, Mitchell, Argus, & Farquhar, 2010), are significantly behind their peers academically (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2007Welfare, , 2011 and are less likely to complete secondary school (Cashmore, Paxman, & Townsend, 2007;Townsend, 2012). In 2013, the AIHW proposed a national methodology for the collection and reporting of the educational outcomes of young people in care up to 17 years of age (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013b).…”