Educators’ Experiences of an Australian Education Program for Students in Out-of-Home Care

Abstract

There is growing awareness of how being in out-of-home care (OOHC) can adversely impact children’s education. Accordingly, a number of programs have been developed that aim to address the educational needs of students in OOHC. This study aimed to explore educators’ experiences and perceptions of an educational program for students in OOHC. The experiences of eight program educators who participated in semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Results illustrate the need for educators to provide students with individualized support, promote supportive relationships and communicate with stakeholders. The need for supervision and debriefing between colleagues was highlighted. Educator wellbeing and professional development were found to be intertwined with educators’ perceived capacity to support their students.

Keywords:

• Children in out-of-home care
• education
• education programs
• educators’ experiences
• trauma-informed practice

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.