C2Y: Discussions on Child and Youth Care

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

Charlie challenges the group to think beyond their understandings regarding the benefits of being from care, and pushes the white CYCPfC to think of the cultural costs for Indigenous and other racialized young people incurred by going into child protection services.

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

The group finds common ground identifying the many ways they felt failed by their time in the child welfare system.

Hiring Care is an audio drama inquiry created from one-on-one conversations with 10 child and youth care practitioners (CYCPs) “from care” (CYCPfC). Most of the script is verbatim, meaning the words spoken by the actors are (mostly) re-enactments of what CYCPfC said in the conversations. The conversations have been re-arranged and different CYCPfC have been put into relationships with each other, even though they never actually spoke with each other during the recorded conversations. Three of the characters (B, Ellisha, and Terri) are composites of two different people.

Hiring Care is constructed as a conversation between a group of seven CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC) who are meeting to talk about creating a way to support agencies who want to hire practitioners with child welfare experience. This frame for the structure came out of an idea mentioned by one of the conversationalists (Charlotte), who said she and some of her colleagues “wanted to create a booklet about how to support someone with lived experience in care in your organization, who works for you”. Hiring Carehas seven different episodes, each one introduced by a different character and addressing different themes, although there are some overlaps between the different episodes.

While the script follows a chronological order, it is not necessary to listen to them in a particular order. You might find it more relevant to pick specific themes (identified with each episode) and listen to that particular conversation.

To learn more about the project, please visit www.TuningIntoCYC.org

In their first conversation as a group, 5 child and youth care practitioners from care (CYCPfC) talk about trying to work in the same system that raised them. After some awkward moments, the group seeks common ground through identifying the challenges of being in care and the wisdom/benefits they take into their work.

Themes/Key words: Identity, Empathy, Compassion, Trauma

This month we are showcasing episode 7 from ReFiled, a research-based fiction podcast created with Child and Youth Care practitioners who have residential placement experience. You can listen to the complete series at www.Refiled.ca, or on iTunes , Spotify, and Google Podcasts. 

Youth need to know what their rights are. After the implementation of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989 nations across the world began to take child protection a lot more seriously. Governments were mandated to provide the basic necessities to children to help them reach their full potential. As a part of the child protection services in Canada it is mandated that children always know what their rights are. But how can children exercise their rights? Before the advocacy office was shut down in 2018, they were the essential voice for youth in care in Ontario before the Ford administration shut it down. The impacts are still affecting youth today. In this episode, we sat down with Jackson Gate, a former youth in care, and a current practicing paralegal. He gives us a break down of the essential information youth need to know on how to best advocate for themselves. He also is working with an upcoming organization to help educate youth in their rights in a way they can understand. 

Please Check out our website for more details about the programs we have https://linktr.ee/project.outsiders

and for more information regarding the CYFSA please check out our previous episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/5w6lE50lE37CoVrwkw1EDj?si=tsmaG9PfT1y_CHe_hRJp9w

What does it mean to identify as a Black youth in care? This is a really special episode because our guest has two distinct point of view of what it means to be black. Not only that, but they also have had two vastly different experiences in care despite sharing the same social worker. In this episode we talk about identity, morality, and perception. We dive into importance of providing youth the option of being close to culture and how that plays into their identity. We cover aspects of the LGBTQ community, politics, and the One Vision One Voice project. Due to how incredibly emotion and elaborate the conversation was, we needed to split it into two parts. Join me Kyngston and Aidan in this thought-provoking conversation and share this with your peers.

https://linktr.ee/project.outsiders

Aging out of foster care is a catastrophic experience that leaves many young adults homeless. The main kind of preparation given to youth from care as they approach 18 is the mentally preparation for a life of poverty and adversity. How can youth in care fight against provincial neglect? Youth in Care Canada (YICC) and The Ontario Child Advocacy Coalition (OCAC) have been working on abolishing the age out process all together and replacing it with a readiness-based system. Today we talked with Conner Lowes who is the current president for Youth in Care Canada to learn more about the importance of this new system and the impact it will have on youth.

https://twitter.com/connerlowes

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowes-8a6b7c5d3e0f9g/

https://youthincare.ca/

https://twitter.com/youthincare

https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyc-podcast

Welcome to the Foster Care Experience Podcast Hosted by Chanice McAnuff. Please be sure to tune into our program every Friday night. 

Please Like, Share and Follow us on Social media: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/project-outsiders-b6b840202

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At project outsiders we aim to highlight the vulnerabilities of the child welfare system So that you can know what’s happening to youth in your communities and through this We aim to develop partnership with organizations to share resources you can use to stop these ongoing injustices and create a stronger system for youth in care together.

This week’s episode is a conversation with Kismet Meyon, Dr. Maggie Inchley, and Dr. Sylvan Baker from The Verbatim Formula. The Verbatim Formula is “a participatory research project for care-experienced young people. It uses verbatim theatre techniques, listening and dialogue to work with young people, care leavers, social workers, and universities” which “aim[s] to work with young people to make care and education better” (http://www.theverbatimformula.org.uk/).

During our conversation Kismet, Maggie, and Sylvan discuss the process that The verbatim Formula uses, the impacts on them and others as creators, how it is received by those who see their performances (including service providers), and the results of their research.

Visit their website to hear clips and learn more about the innovative and necessary work they create.

This is part 2 of the conversation begun in October, 2019. Melanie Doucet and Harrison Pratt discuss the Photovoice research project titled Relationships Matter for Youth “Aging Out” of Care (https://www.yumpu.com/document/view/59918518/relationships-matter-e-book). Melanie and Harrison are both researchers with direct experience living in the child welfare system. In this episode, they discuss the place of arts in research, the Photovoice process, and analyzing images for themes.

To learn more about the project please visit:

Relationships Matter Project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lmPDZ360ow&t=40s

·         Relationships Matter Photo E-Book: https://www.yumpu.com/document/view/59918518/relationships-matter-e-book

·         Relationships Matter Executive Summary + Research report (child welfare policy & practice oriented), published via the BC Representative for Children and Youth: https://rcybc.ca/reports-and-publications/reports/relationships-matter-youth-aging-out-care

 ·         Megaphone Magazine cover story and article, January 2019, What do YOUth think? Research project that aims to improve B.C.'s foster care system goes straight to the source.

·         Tyee article, December 13, 2018, Want to fix foster care? Ask kids who have been through the system

·         Tyee article, December 15, 2017, Creating Connections Through Photography

Dr. Jen Couch contextualizes her insights from practice and research with young people who came to Australia as refugees. In the conversation we start by reflecting on the murders at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, Aotearoa/New Zealand, we then move into discussing relational work with young people. Dr. Couch closes by speaking about the benefits of working with young people from a refugee rights model, in contrast to a needs model.

Dr. Couch is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Arts at the Australian Catholic University, which she came to after working extensively in the youth and community sectors of Australia and South Asia. Including with many young people who lived as refugees.

Drawing upon his own work in residential care and as a foster parent, Dr. Smith talks about care as an action and a disposition. He discusses several theories and aspects related to care, what it looks like in practice, the relationship between care and love, and some of the difficulties regarding care in this current managerialist climate.

Dr. Mark Smith spent about 20 years working in residential care before moving into academia. He has published widely on topics related to residential care, ideas of love in child and youth care, historical abuse in residential care, and in 2018 co-edited a book titled Social Work in a Changing Scotland. Dr. Smith currently teaches at the University of Dundee in Scotland.