The career aspirations and action behaviours of Australian adolescents in out-of-home-care

Abstract

We surveyed 202 adolescents who were in out-of-home care, and compared them with 202 adolescents not in care (matched for age, gender and school achievement) on career-related aspirations (occupational aspirations, educational aspirations, life barriers) and career action behaviours (career exploration, career planning). The outof-home care adolescents reported lower occupational aspirations, less career planning, more career barriers, lower educational aspirations for themselves, lower parental aspirations, and more school engagement. Further, career exploration was lower for out-of-home care children who had higher aspirations, lower self-efficacy, parents who communicated higher aspirations, and low aspiring friends. Results are discussed in the context of providing career development and supports for out-ofhome care adolescents so that their career aspirations and behaviours can mirror more normative levels.

Young People Transitioning from Out-of-home Care and Access to Higher Education: A Critical Review of the Literature

“…The idea of wellbeing is a broad one and includes career prospects and earnings, physical and mental health, access to and participation in broader social and community relationships, self-esteem, and generally positive life outcomes. Those young people who do participate in tertiary education are therefore far less likely to experience manifestations of social exclusion, such as unemployment, poor self-esteem, ill-health, homelessness and imprisonment Creed, Tilbury, Buys, & Crawford, 2011;Day, Dworsky, Fogarty, & Damashek, 2011;Day, Riebschleger, Dworsky, Damashek, & Fogarty, 2012;Jurczyszyn, 2014;Jurczyszyn & Tilbury, 2012;Townsend, 2011).…”

Children in Out of Home Care: Should we give them a Fair Go?

“…Formalised government assistance from the state is only available until a child turns 18 years of age (Creed, Tilbury, Buys, & Crawford, 2011). Transitioning to independence may take longer than 18 years of age and may take some young people until 25 years of age (McDowall, 2009;Mendes, 2008).…”

O suporte social e a personalidade são significativos para os objetivos de vida de adolescentes de diferentes configurações familiares?

“…Amado e colaboradores (2003) e Creed et al (2011) reforçam esta ideia sugerindo que os jovens em acolhimento residencial tendem a apresentar expetativas face ao futuro pouco otimistas e pouco estruturadas, comparativamente com jovens de outras configurações familiares. Os estudos são escassos no que confere a esta associação, inclusive em contexto de acolhimento residencial, pelo que se torna uma limitação para fazer o paralelo entre estes jovens e os que provém de famílias tradicionais.…”

“…Para além disso, também se tem constatado que fatores como sendo os antecedentes familiares compartilhados pelos jovens adolescentes tendem a influenciar o delineamento de objetivos de vida. Assim sendo, é passível averiguar que os jovens que não provêm de uma família tradicional denotam uma maior suscetibilidade em termos de orientação e planificação de objetivos de vida (Amado, Ribeiro, Limão, & Pacheco, 2003;Creed, Tilbury, Buys, & Crawford, 2011;SalmelaAro, 2009). De igual modo, Henriques (2008) realizou um estudo que visa analisar os objetivos de vida de jovens adolescentes em regime institucional, evidenciando que os jovens que denotaram uma menor perceção do seu suporte social apresentaram expectativas do futuro muito reduzidas, pouco otimistas e menos estruturadas, o que contribui para uma maior desesperança e suscetibilidade na definição dos seus objetivos de vida.…”