“Surviving not thriving”: experiences of health among young people with a lived experience in out-of-home care

Abstract

Children in care (CiC) experience poorer health outcomes than their sameaged peers without an experience of care. Despite growing recognition of the importance of listening to the voices of children and young people (YP), to date, the voices of CiC are not well represented in research examining their health. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of health among YP who have previously lived in care. A co-design approach was used to inform the research methodology by engaging YP with a lived experience in cooperative discussions. Ten YP participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The current findings highlight that YP consistently felt their health needs were not adequately met while in care, nor did they feel listened to, understood, or educated about health-related matters. This unique insight into the challenges they experienced in care offers realistic guidance for change.

‘I’m dealing with all these health issues that could have been addressed when I was younger’. Delivery of health services to Australian young people in out‐of‐home care: Lived experiences

“…Resultantly, the majority of young people reported experiencing ongoing chronic physical and mental health problems. This is consistent with the mounting evidence that young people in care experience poorer health outcomes than their peers not in care (Maclean et al, 2016;Smales, Savaglio, Morris, et al, 2020;, and that such outcomes continue to persist into adulthood (Berlin et al, 2018;Brannstrom et al, 2017;Kaariala & Hiilamo, 2017;Smales, Savaglio, Webster, et al, 2020). Specifically, young people discussed not receiving appropriate support for mental health concerns, leaving them to manage significant mental health issues as young adults.…”

The impact of transition interventions for young people leaving care: a review of the Australian evidence

“…However, to date, current interventions are less successful in targeting and improving health outcomes. Given the adverse health outcomes for young people transitioning from care (Muir et al, 2019;Smales et al, 2020), it is essential that such programmes are adapted or developed to increase emphasis on facilitating improvements in health outcomes (e.g., mental, physical, and social health), in addition to fostering outcomes that are indicative of independent living (e.g., housing). With the paucity of studies reviewed, it is clear that more programmes are needed to cater to the needs of Australian young people transitioning from care.…”

“…Unsurprisingly given their objectives, these interventions were found to be effective in improving housing, educational and employment outcomes. However, they were less effective in facilitating health outcomes, which is concerning as these young people experience poorer mental and physical health outcomes after transitioning from care (Muir et al, 2019;Smales et al, 2020). These findings were also supported by a recent meta-analysis that examined the effectiveness of US programmes for young people transitioning from care (Heerde et al, 2018).…”

Addressing health and social care during and beyond COVID-19: the importance of implementation science

“…3 This population experiences higher rates of adverse physical and mental health outcomes, and once they leave care, they continue to experience disadvantage with respect to educational achievements, training and employment, housing, and health and wellbeing, compared with typically developing young people. 9 COVID-19 and the interventions addressing the pandemic are likely to disproportionately impact this population -however, integrating health and social sciences in the provision of support can mitigate potential adverse effects.…”