A critical analysis of the Assessment and Action Record (AAR) documentation: Examining the educational experiences of Black youth-in-care in Ontario

This article focuses on the Ontario Assessment and Action Record (AAR), used in child welfare to understand how this documentation supports (and fails to support) Black youth-in-care and their academic needs. We applied a critical review and analysis of three distinct but interconnected sources of data: 1) the AAR-C2-2016; 2) literature on the education of Black youth-in-care in Ontario; 3) policy and agency documents concerning how this group is faring. In our analysis of the AAR and its education dimension, findings suggest the AAR has been a race-neutral tool, which has implications in terms of how we conceptualize structural barriers faced by Black children and youth-in-care. We identified gaps and potential practice dilemmas for child welfare workers when using AAR documentation procedures. Using Critical Race Theory and the United Nations human rights framework, we argue that the AAR can be a tool to identify, monitor, and challenge oppression for Black children and youth-in-care who experience a continual negotiation of racialization alongside being a foster child. The AAR recordings can be harmful if they are simply a collection of information on the key areas of a child’s life. Prioritizing the academic needs of Black children in care is critical to social work and aligns with the commitments of One Vision, One Voice, Ontario’s Anti-Racism Strategic Plan as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly in relation to the right to education.

91 Health care needs and missed care among youth in care in British Columbia: A population study

Primary Subject area Adolescent Medicine Background Youth in care (YIC), including those living in foster care, kinship care, group homes, and youth agreements, are a vulnerable population with many risk factors leading to a high prevalence of mental and physical health needs. YIC are recommended to have more frequent health care encounters than the general adolescent population, though it is unknown how Canadian YIC perceive whether their health care needs are sufficiently met. Objectives To assess YIC's perception of their health care needs and frequency of missed care, defined as not having received needed health care. Design/Methods A representative sample of 38,015 students in Grades 7 to 12 across British Columbia was surveyed in the 2018 BC Adolescent Health Survey (McCreary Centre Society). Questionnaire items on demographics, mental and physical health, and health care access in the past year were examined. Frequencies and cross-tabulations were performed using IBM SPSS® Complex Samples module software. Results In the past year, 1.9% of respondents reported living in government care. YIC had a mean age of 14.76 years and were 50.9% female. YIC reported worse mental health (46.5% vs. 27.6% poor/fair rating, p < 0.01) and physical health (36.4% vs. 19.1% poor/fair rating, p < 0.01) compared to non-YIC, with female and non-binary YIC most severely impacted. YIC were less likely to report not needing health care (15.6% vs. 21.3%, p < 0.01) and more likely to report missed care (11.2% vs. 3.1%, p < 0.01) compared to non-YIC. Although the rate of any health care usage was not significantly different between the groups, nearly one-quarter (23.7%) of YIC accessed health care at 3 or more locations, compared to only 16.4% of non-YIC (p < 0.01), with YIC accessing counsellors/psychologists and youth clinics more frequently. YIC reported more missed mental health care (32.9% vs. 18.4%, p < 0.01) and physical health care (21.6% vs. 7.8%, p < 0.01) than non-YIC, with female YIC reporting more missed care than male YIC. Non-binary YIC also reported more missed mental health care than male YIC. YIC were more likely than non-YIC to have missed mental health care due to reasons such as prior negative experiences and lack of transportation. Conclusion YIC reported worse mental and physical health and greater frequencies of missed care compared to non-YIC, especially female and non-binary YIC. Further attention is needed in addressing systemic and individual barriers to health care in this vulnerable population.

Former Youth in Care: Kinship Care and Its Potential Impact on Black Families & Cultural Identity in the Child Welfare System

In 2016, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a public inquiry to determine whether or not there was a disproportionate number of racialized populations representing the child welfare system. Data collected from the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (2015) showed that while African Canadians make up 8.5% of the Torontonian population, they made up 40.8% of the children and youth in the child welfare system. This alarming information called for changes in the ways Black children and youth have been impacted and what changes could be made with policy. This research study intends to highlight policies that have been implemented in response to over-represented communities in the child welfare system with a particular focus on kinship care and how it is incorporated into policy that seeks to improve the treatment and service for Black families in the Greater Toronto Area.

Former Youth in Care: Kinship Care and Its Potential Impact on Black Families & Cultural Identity in the Child Welfare System

In 2016, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a public inquiry to determine whether or not there was a disproportionate number of racialized populations representing the child welfare system. Data collected from the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (2015) showed that while African Canadians make up 8.5% of the Torontonian population, they made up 40.8% of the children and youth in the child welfare system. This alarming information called for changes in the ways Black children and youth have been impacted and what changes could be made with policy. This research study intends to highlight policies that have been implemented in response to over-represented communities in the child welfare system with a particular focus on kinship care and how it is incorporated into policy that seeks to improve the treatment and service for Black families in the Greater Toronto Area.

The Celebration of Life’s Milestones and Significant Events: A Course-Based Qualitative Inquiry into Milieu Relational Work in Child and Youth Care Residential Programs

There has been little focus on the milieu relational work in child and youth care (CYC) residential programs for children and youth specific to the celebration of life’s milestones and events. The goal of this course-based study is to improve understanding of how CYC practitioners initiate and celebrate milestones and significant events with children and youth in care. The study uses interpretivism to identify and understand phenomena from the perspective of the individuals who have direct experience of the phenomena under investigation. Data was collected using an anonymous Google forms questionnaire. An interpretive thematic analysis of the data revealed four themes: (1) quality time with loved ones, (2) importance of acknowledgement (e.g., of youth’s wants and needs), (3) awareness of implementing culture, and (4) building connections and creating memories.