Brighter Futures for Care leavers: A Consultation on Outcomes and Aftercare for Young People Leaving Care in Ireland

TY - BOOK

T1 - Brighter Futures for Care leavers: A Consultation on Outcomes and Aftercare for Young People Leaving Care in Ireland

AU - Dixon, Joanne

AU - Ward, Jade

AU - Stein, Michael

PY - 2018/7/1

Y1 - 2018/7/1

N2 - The research comprised a small-scale consultation, which involved a review of existing policy and research on aftercare in Ireland and a consultation to gather experiences of leaving care, outcomes and aftercare support from the perspectives of young people in and leaving care and aftercare workers. It also aimed to explore scope for developing an aftercare outcomes framework in order to better utilise data to improve outcomes and services provision, based on a model being developed and piloted in England by Social Finance UK. In total, 29 young people and five aftercare workers from 3 areas across Ireland participated. Findings from the consultation provided some insight into the key challenges facing these young people, the strengths and the gaps in service provision and the ways in which positive progress and outcomes can be facilitated, recorded and monitored.The consultation took place during a time of significant legislative change affecting aftercare services, support and policy in Ireland. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015, enacted in 2017, included provision to strengthen the legislative base for aftercare services and increase the coherence and quality of support. This consultation forms part of an existing programme of work by Focus Ireland to understand the impact of aftercare support on young people’s outcomes. The consultation, in providing an opportunity to hear the voices of young people and aftercare workers, will contribute to the wider consultation and information process for the National Aftercare Policy carried out by Tusla across Ireland. It is anticipated that the messages from this report will feed into the development of systems to improve services and in turn, improve outcomes and experiences for young people leaving care.

AB - The research comprised a small-scale consultation, which involved a review of existing policy and research on aftercare in Ireland and a consultation to gather experiences of leaving care, outcomes and aftercare support from the perspectives of young people in and leaving care and aftercare workers. It also aimed to explore scope for developing an aftercare outcomes framework in order to better utilise data to improve outcomes and services provision, based on a model being developed and piloted in England by Social Finance UK. In total, 29 young people and five aftercare workers from 3 areas across Ireland participated. Findings from the consultation provided some insight into the key challenges facing these young people, the strengths and the gaps in service provision and the ways in which positive progress and outcomes can be facilitated, recorded and monitored.The consultation took place during a time of significant legislative change affecting aftercare services, support and policy in Ireland. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015, enacted in 2017, included provision to strengthen the legislative base for aftercare services and increase the coherence and quality of support. This consultation forms part of an existing programme of work by Focus Ireland to understand the impact of aftercare support on young people’s outcomes. The consultation, in providing an opportunity to hear the voices of young people and aftercare workers, will contribute to the wider consultation and information process for the National Aftercare Policy carried out by Tusla across Ireland. It is anticipated that the messages from this report will feed into the development of systems to improve services and in turn, improve outcomes and experiences for young people leaving care.

M3 - Commissioned report

SN - 978-1-907265-36-5

BT - Brighter Futures for Care leavers: A Consultation on Outcomes and Aftercare for Young People Leaving Care in Ireland

PB - Focus Ireland

CY - Dublin Ireland

ER -