Barry Salmon Protecting Children Today Conference, Brisbane, 25 – 27 March 2009

1. Views of Children and Young People in Care: Landmark Research in Queensland Barry Salmon Protecting Children Today Conference, Brisbane, 25 – 27 March 2009

2. Overview of presentation • The Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (the Commission) • How we engage with children and young people • Community Visitor Program • The Views surveys • Aims • Methodology – foster care surveys • Key findings – young people in foster care • Summary • Issues arising from findings • Future directions

3. The Commission Legislated function: • promote the rights, interests and wellbeing of children in Queensland, particularly those most vulnerable. Informed by: • Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000, and • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

4. The Commission cont. Role includes: • monitor, audit and review systems, policies and practices of the Department of Child Safety and other service providers (Child Guardian function) • promote laws, policies and practices that uphold the rights, interests and wellbeing of children and young people • administer state-wide Community Visitor Program for children and young people in alternative care

5. The Commission cont. • research and investigate complaints relating to children and young people in the care of the Department of Child Safety • maintain a register and review the deaths of children and young people in Queensland • conduct employment screening of certain types of child-related employment (Blue Card)

6. The Commission cont. • educate the community to comply with the Commission’s Act • research and report on safety and well being of children and young people, and • listen to and consider the concerns, views and wishes of children and young people.

7. Strategy: Engaging children and young people The Strategy for Engaging Children and Young People sets out how to: • make better decisions incorporating perspectives of children and young people • build an evidence base about their views • support them to be empowered • encourage other stakeholders and service providers to engage

8. Strategy: Engaging c&yp cont. The strategy sets out how the Commission: • considers and acts on information • gives priority to engaging with children who are voiceless • makes it easier for under-18s to contact the Commission, and • informs why we engage and how the information is used. Enacted through a range of initiatives including Community Visitor Program and Views surveys.

9. Community Visitors • Part 4 of the Commission's Act provides for a Community Visitor program • Community Visitors must visit children and young people • in the custody of the Department of Child Safety and placed away from home • residing in certain residential facilities including detention centres and mental health facilities • Administered under the Child Guardian function

10. Community Visitors cont. • Approximately 200 Community Visitors • Regularly visit roughly 6500 children and young people • Aim to visit each child and young person on a monthly basis or more often if requested by the child or young person

11. Community Visitors cont. • Engage directly with children and young people to assess the standard of care they are receiving • Facilitate local resolution of issues raised by children • Refer instances of inadequate care to the Complaints Team

12. Community Visitors cont. • Gather information for systemic monitoring of child protection and youth justice systems • Advocate to promote and protect the rights and wellbeing of children and young people in alternative care • Administer the Views surveys to children and young people in care

13. The Views surveys • Focus on those living in alternative care – the Commission has particular responsibility for this group • Distributed to children and young people in foster care, residential care, detention centres through the Community Visitor Program • First survey 2006 • Conducted every two years • Underpinned by theory of sociology of childhood - considers children and young people to be reliable informants of their own experience Clark, McQuail & Moss, 2003; James & Prout, 1997

14. The Views surveys cont. • Informed by national and international trends and research relating to alternative care • Include questions reflecting attachment and stability, reunifications, long-term/permanency planning, transition from care - factors shown to impact on wellbeing during and/or after care Barber & Delfabbro, 2005; Cashmore et al., 2006; Dozier, 2005; Gauthier et al., 2004); Lawrence at al., 2006; McWey, 2004; Shaw, 2006; Tilbury & Osmond, 2006

15. Aims of the Views surveys • Provide children and young people with an opportunity to comment on their care situation and have those comments reported. • Inform the Commission’s advocacy and monitoring functions. • Inform policy and decision makers to help them better meet the needs of children and young people in care. • Help gauge the effectiveness of the child protection and youth justice systems.

16. Methodology – foster care surveys Research Design • Repeated cross-sectional longitudinal design Instruments and participants • Surveys developed for three age/ability groups • 9-18 years (81 items) / 5-8 years (54 items) / 0-4 years (39 items completed by carers on behalf of c&yp) • Closed and open-ended questions Participants • Those in care visited by CV invited to participate (N=1942 respondents)

17. Methodology – foster care surveys cont. Procedure • Surveys distributed to CVs • CVs administered surveys during regular visits. Data analysis • Quantitative data - SPSS descriptive and inferential statistics • Qualitative data - thematic analysis

18. Key findings – young people (9-18yrs) • Participant background • Demographics • Placement history • Living in care • Health • Education • Family • Living a ‘normal’ life • Satisfaction with placement • The system • Dealing with the Department • Involvement in decisions • Transition from care

19. Demographics • Sample size N = 756 • Age (mean) 13yrs 1mth • Sex • male 47% • female 53% • Care type • foster care 72% • relative care 23% • specialist foster care 5%

20. Demographics cont. • Cultural background • Caucasian Australian 70% • Aboriginal 20% • Torres Strait Islander 1.5% • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 1.7% • ‘other’ 7% • Carer same cultural background 82%

21. Placement history • Total time in care - 50% had spent 6 or more years in care

22. Placement history cont. • Time in current placement – 49% in current placement for 2 years or less

23. Placement history cont. • Number of placements • 1 or 2 placements 56% • 5 or more placements 21% • Returns home • never returned home 75% • 2 or more times 9% • Worried about possible placement change 20%

24. I’m really happy here and I don’t want to have to leave. Placement history

25. Key findings – young people (9-18yrs) • Participant background • Demographics • Placement stability • Living in care • Health • Education • Family • Living a ‘normal’ life • Satisfaction with placement • The system • Dealing with the Department • Involvement in decisions • Transition from care

26. Health • Have a disability 15% 42% of who receive special help • Have a health problem 11% 46% of who have been able to see someone about it • Take medication for ADHD 17% • Have a Child Health Passport • yes 7% • no 37% • don’t know 56%

27. Took ages to get dental work approved. Health

28. Education • Attend school 95% • Have repeated a year at school 32% • Number of secondary schools attended (children and young people of secondary school age) • attended only 1 60% • attended 3 or more 13% • Have an unresolved problem at school 18% • Have an Education Support Plan 46% 69% of who find it helpful

29. We have a really good chance at having a good education. Really good because we get looked after really well. Education

30. Contact with family • Want to see family: • less 5% • same amount 51% • more 45% • Want to talk to family: • less 4% • same amount 68% • more 28% • Allowed to phone or email family 79% • If Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, in touch with community 63%

31. I want to see my brothers and sisters – I’ve almost forgotten what they look like. Contact with family

32. Living a ‘normal’ life • Made to feel different because of care • never/not very often 77% • Able to do things others not in care can do • all/most of the time 67% • Miss out on things because of care • never/not very often 80% • Have to do things don’t want to • never/not very often 77%

33. Trust us more and allow us to do things everyone else can Living a ‘normal’ life

34. Satisfaction with environment • Have enough space 95% • Possessions are treated with respect 93% • Treated the same as others living here most or all of the time 95% • Rules and discipline are reasonable 96% • Place is clean enough 99%

35. Satisfaction with carer • Carer listens most or all of the time 95% • Carer understands young person 96% • Treated well by carer 99% • Carer cares about what is best for young person 99%

36. Over all satisfaction with placement • Feel safe in placement 99% • Better off since coming into care 93% • Things have got better in the last year 89% • Happiness with placement 8.8/10

37. My carers are like my parents. I am encouraged and given all that I need. I even have guinea pigs. I’m happy here. Satisfaction with placement

38. Key findings – young people (9-18yrs) • Participant background • Demographics • Placement stability • Living in care • Health • Education • Family • Living a ‘normal’ life • Satisfaction with placement • The system • Dealing with the Department • Involvement in decisions • Transition from care

39. Dealing with the Department • Feel confident about Department’s promises 48% • Permission requirements are reasonable 47% • Get permission in time to do things • all/most of the time 69% • Would like to see CSO • less 18% • about the same 47% • more 35% • Helpfulness of CSO 6.5/10

40. A more swift system like everything could be approved in a couple of days instead of trying to ring your CSO and not getting an answer for weeks! Dealing with the Department

41. Involvement in decisions • People listen to you • all/most of the time 84% • Decisions are explained to you • all/most of the time 65% • Have a say in decisions that affect you • all/most of the time 59% • Told what to expect about care 32%

42. Just listen to kids. And at about 8, we’re not stupid and we know what we want. Involvement in decisions

43. Transitioning from care (16+ year-olds) • Spoken to about what happens when turn 18 57% • Have a Leaving Care Plan • yes 25% • no 42% • don’t know 33% • Involved in development of plan (if have plan) 60%

44. Everything goes when you’re 18 – as soon as you turn 18 – you are eligible for nothing. Transitioning from care

45. Summary • Most young people: • have been in care for several years • have experienced only one or two placements • have not experienced unsuccessful reunification • Majority report being happy with numerous aspects of their care experience – feel safe, happy and cared for

46. Summary cont. • Numerous responses (696) to the question asking “What is the best thing about your current placement?” Being loved and people caring about me I live in a house where people keep me safe & love me They really care about me because they are sending me to a private school They make the best salad I am not on the street and have food to eat

47. Issues arising from findings • Number of placements for some young people • Worried about placement change • Difficulty getting permission • Not having a say • Decisions not being explained • Not having a Leaving Care Plan (over 16 year olds)

48. Future directions • Further analysis of survey data • Dissemination of findings • Advocacy on issues such as stability, permanency and transition planning • Listen to, and advocate for, children and young people in care

49. Our contact details Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian T&G Building, 141 Queen Street, Brisbane Ph: 3247 5525 www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au Our new address will be: Level 17, 53 Albert Street, Brisbane

50. Reports for children and young people