Government report focuses on Aboriginal youth transitioning out of care

Aboriginal youth across the province are discussing the challenges they face when transitioning out of government care services — information that will form the basis of a report brought to the legislature in the New Year.

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, an independent Office of the Legislature, launched 15 focus group consultations in October and November in urban, rural and Aboriginal communities across the province.

Youth aged 17 to 21, who are currently receiving services under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, were asked about the challenges they face when transitioning into independence.
Focus groups were conducted in Aboriginal communities such as Saddle Lake, Hobbema and Stoney Nakoda, said Melanie Lukevich, public education specialist with OCYA. These communities were chosen as there is a higher representation of Aboriginal youth in care.

According to Alberta Human Services, as of June 2012, there were 8,686 children reported in care in Alberta with 68 per cent of those children Aboriginal.

“At least half of the participants in the focus groups have identified with being Aboriginal,” Lukevich said.

In Grande Prairie all the participants in the focus group were Aboriginal, Lukevich added.

“Some of the discussions have been unique,” she said. “Some of it is not what you’re going to hear in the general population. These youth may have to transition to a city, away from their home communities.”

The idea to hold focus groups that will make up a report came about last year, said Del Graff, Provincial Child and Youth Advocate.

“We had a series of meetings at five different areas in the province and youth panels became involved and the topic of young people transitioning out of care, and the problems they face, were pretty consistent,” he said.

Based on the report, the office hopes to provide recommendations to the government on how best to support the youth leaving or aging out of care.

Elliott Young, originally from Ermineskin Cree Nation, is an Aboriginal engagement co-ordinator for systemic advocacy and outreach with the OCYA.

“There is an over representation of Aboriginal youth, so it is fairly important to engage Aboriginal stakeholders,” he said.

The OCYA has turned to Aboriginal agencies such as Edmonton’s Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, friendship societies and youth organizations in order to spread the word and gain participants.

But despite conducting many focus groups across the province, OCYA is not yet prepared to talk about the unique challenges Aboriginal youth are facing. Findings will be made public in the New Year once the report is presented to the legislature.

Two consistent issues that OCYA did admit to, was that youth leaving government services experience financial problems and no longer have adult mentorship.

“Who do they call when they leave care and what can we do to find stable financial support for them?” Graff said. “These youth are a vulnerable population so the more support we can give them the better they will be in preparing for their independence.”