Relationships Matter: Examining the pathways to supportive long-term relationships for youth ‘aging out’ of care
Webinar event date: 
Mar 26, 2024 11:00 am EDT
Webinar Presenters: 
Dr. Melanie M. Doucet, PhD Social Work, MIDST

Dr. Doucet has been working to improve the lives of youth in care for over 15 years. She is a former youth in care originally from New Brunswick, and is now based in the unceded traditional territory of the Mohawk Nation in Montreal, Quebec. She holds a PhD in Social Work, is an expert consultant, an Adjunct Professor at the McGill University School of Social Work and a researcher at the Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF). Dr. Doucet is a renowned public and keynote speaker on the importance of equitably supporting youth in and from care from a rights-based and humane perspective, and is an award-winning researcher. Her doctoral research, titled Relationships Matter for Youth ‘Aging Out’ of Care, provided a platform for youth from care to develop child welfare research, policy and practice recommendations based on their lived experience expertise. She continues to work as part of provincial, territorial and national youth in care advocacy communities on child protection policy and practice reform initiatives, and is currently leading the Equitable Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care project alongside the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates, with the support of the Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC).

Description

Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care is a collaborative photovoice project led by Dr. Melanie Doucet alongside eight former youth in care between the ages of 19 and 29 from the Greater Vancouver area. Using images captured by the young co-researchers and their accompanying captions, the project takes a closer look at meaningful supportive relationships in the lives of young people in and from care, and how those relationships can be developed and nurtured over time.

This webinar is intended to help professionals learn about and engage with:

  • The realities and challenges youth ‘aging out’ of care face, and the importance of supportive long-term relationships.
  • A Photovoice and Participatory Action Research (PAR) study.
  • Key relationship-related themes emerging from the photography.
  • Concrete recommendations for improving child welfare policies and practices.