Children and Young People in the Care System: Relational Practice in Working with Transitions and Challenges

Policymakers and practitioners around the globe are being challenged to respond to the complex and diverse needs of vulnerable children and young people. Children and young people in the care system face multiple challenges throughout their childhood (disrupted attachments, exposure to harm, impoverished social and material conditions, and inadequate resources to meet their basic needs) and experience compressed childhoods. They take on adult responsibilities from an early age and become skilled at making do and managing challenging circumstances on their own, including taking care of siblings and other family members. Children and young people in the care system have interrupted education pathways and given this experience, and the attendant lack of social and emotional resources, they may miss out on the “ordinary” activities, milestones, and opportunities (such as social and recreational activities) that enable positive futures. These children and young people have struggled to find meaningful support from services and from other trusted adults that lead to better experiences and outcomes (Munford & Sanders, 2019; Munford & Sanders, 2021). For many, service engagement is inconsistent, interventions are episodic, and promises are not delivered; they have not been well supported in their transitions through the care system and in their transition out of the care system.

Social workers play a key role in promoting practice that effectively responds to the needs of children and young people in care and supports them to experience positive pathways out of care. Relational practices offer an approach to practice that responds to their unique needs and complex challenges, expands opportunities, and supports them to achieve positive outcomes and realise different futures. Three core elements of relational practice have relevance for the experiences of children and young people in the care system: building a deep understanding of children and young people’s lived experience; establishing trust-based and respectful relationships with children and young people and supporting them to be at the centre of decision-making processes on plans and interventions; and actively engaging children and young people in planning for transitions within and out of the care system.

Effective social work practice begins with listening and seeking an understanding of children and young people’s diverse contexts and experiences. This involves taking time to listen, suspending assumptions and judgement, and showing respect for children and young people’s experiences, contexts, values, beliefs, culture, and coping capacities. When social workers listen deeply to their stories and are attuned to learning about their circumstances and the complex issues they have managed, they build a nuanced and deep understanding of children and young people’s everyday lived experiences. This extends the possibilities of social work interventions as hearing children and young people’s perspectives enables insight into the factors that have shaped their experiences including the impact of structural disadvantage, trauma, and the multiple contextual stress they have experienced, including being in the care system from an early age. The article by Menzies and Grace (2022) in this Issue, reported on a comprehensive training program for welfare practitioners working with Aboriginal families. They underline the importance of building understanding of the collective and intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities. This understanding engenders a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of children and young people’s circumstances. In their article on respecting sexual safety, McKibbin et al. (2022) also reinforced the importance of building trusting relationships with children and young people and recognising their unique needs and the impact early traumatic experiences have on their life course. These trust-based and respectful relationships are a cornerstone of relational practice that promotes children and young people’s active and positive engagement in helping alliances.

Children and young people’s positive experiences in the care system are associated with authentic and genuine relationships with social workers that are based on mutual respect and create opportunities for children and young people to experience a safe and secure relationship with a trusted adult who advocates for them to have a voice (Munford & Sanders, 2021). Relational practices foreground the importance of understanding children and young people’s experiences and contexts, their strengths and coping capacities, and what they bring to the helping alliance. This involves valuing children and young people’s perspectives, values, cultural beliefs, and recognising them as a member of a family and community; these important connections are key resources to be harnessed in social work interventions. Research indicates that a focus on deficits, where behaviour and experiences are described primarily as risk, masks coping capacities, and the strategies children and young people use to manage their challenging circumstances. When social workers show respect for these coping capacities, children and young people are more likely to stay connected with services and to actively participate in interventions (Munford & Sanders, 2021).

Relational practices promote agency and active participation in helping alliances. Respectful and trust-based relationships locate children and young people at the centre of decision making and foster belonging, connection, and a positive sense of self. In positive helping partnerships social workers support children and young people to share information, to work together to find solutions to issues, and expand opportunities for children and young people. The systematic review reported on by Zuchowski et al. (2022) identified the key factors that enable positive engagement with services. Positive outcomes can be achieved through respectful engagement with young people that explores their unique needs and supports their sense of agency and control over their circumstances. In these respectful relationships the experiences and capacities of children and young people are harnessed to inform decisions, plans, and interventions. Children and young people are supported to try out solutions through a guided support and shared reflection process; this process involves working with other practitioners to ensure that they are supported as partners in positive change processes. The article by Pizzirani et al. (2022) on a healthy lifestyle program in residential out-of-home care emphasised the importance of practitioners in the care system working collaboratively across systems to understand children and young people’s history and current situations in order to effectively respond to their diverse needs. The histories and family relationships of children and young people in the care system are complex, but as Kertesz et al. (2022), suggested in their article on patterns of family contact for children in care, we need to work to maintain connections with families and places that have meaning for the child and young person. Children and young people’s views must be sought and regularly reviewed to ensure their perspectives, needs, and choices inform decisions about contact with families and other significant adults. Stafford et al. (2022) explored rights-based approaches and the ways services embed everyday practices to ensure that children’s voices are heard. To achieve the active participation of children and young people in decision making, safe spaces are created where they are encouraged to provide feedback on services and how these services respond to their needs and aspirations.

The trust-based, helping partnerships with social workers that enable children and young people to have a voice in support processes and interventions provide a strong foundation for planning for transitions through the care system and for transition out of the care system. Successful transition processes begin when children and young people enter care, and they are supported to actively participate in goal setting and planning for transitions. Positive interventions and transitions support children and young people to experience safe and secure connections, to seek out opportunities for strengthening social and cultural networks, and to find an enduring presence to stand alongside them through transitions, significant events, and milestones. This significant person provides emotional and practical support and resources and holds hope for a positive future (Munford & Sanders, 2021). Organisations that provide meaningful support to children and young people have clear transition policies and practices. These policies and practices are consistent across service domains. In identifying the factors that can lift the poor outcomes of children and young people in the care system, Mendes (2022) argued for a nationally extended care framework to guide the provision of consistent programs for care leavers. The framework would guarantee equity in planning for transitions and respond to the diverse needs of care leavers including the needs of Indigenous children and young people.

Ecological approaches provide a useful framework for organising transition processes as they shape practice at multiple levels and identify the conditions required to achieve successful transitions and better outcomes. Planning for transitions begins with understanding the impact of wider circumstances and the factors that undermine children and young people’s access to resources and support. This involves generating understanding of the systems, policies, and structures that disadvantage children and young people in the care system and working collaboratively to implement processes that open up opportunities for young people. Social workers have courageous and difficult conversations to make that draw on the expertise of others, such as conversations with mental health practitioners, to ensure that children and young people’s mental health challenges are addressed, and with teachers who support children and young people’s learning journeys and pathways back into education.

Consistent transition policies and practices enable social workers to work together with children and young people on their transition plans. These plans respond to the unique needs of children and young people where social workers practice cultural humility and demonstrate genuine respect for children and young people’s values and cultural beliefs. Culturally responsive practice is central to providing meaningful support to children and young people as they transition through the care system and when they leave care. This involves seeking out social and cultural networks that promote positive identities and provide emotional and practical support to children and young people in the care system. The article by Eadie et al. (2022) focused attention on the mental health needs and outcomes of Indigenous children and young people in care. They argue for further research on the components that constitute appropriate cultural support for children and young people, families, and for those who provide support to children and young people. Galvin et al. (2022), in their systematic review on interventions and practice models for improving the health and psychosocial outcomes for children in residential out-of-home care, also argued for interventions that are tailored to the complex health and psychosocial needs of children and young people and that prevent further trauma. Effective interventions provide a strong foundation for planning positive transition processes and equip young people with the skills and knowledge that support them to successfully transition out of care.

In conclusion, current global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, will have an impact on the experiences of children and young people in the care system and, as Mendes (2022) suggested, more than ever social workers will need to work to protect the rights and wellbeing of children and young people in care and those leaving care. To create sustained positive change for children and young people in the care system, we need to intervene early and develop respectful policies, systems, and practices that protect and nurture children and young people. Relational practice is future focused where social workers, in partnership with children and young people, respond to complex issues and needs and develop strategies for expanding opportunities and achieving meaningful and enduring change. Children and young people’s lived experience, wisdom, strengths, and coping strategies are harnessed in interventions and in transition processes. Social workers have a central role in extending children and young people’s social and cultural networks and finding an enduring presence who stands alongside them and holds hope for them meeting their goals and aspirations. Critical reflection is a cornerstone of relational practice and surfaces the key elements of meaningful support and effective practice that enables children and young people to achieve better outcomes and realise positive futures.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).