Nothing to Celebrate : The Crisis of Youth ‘Aging Out’ of Care in Canada
Topic(s): 
Child Welfare
Youth
Webinar event date: 
oct 7, 2026 11:00 am EDT
Webinar link
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Webinar Presenters: 
  • The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, C.M., O.N.S., Senator (Nova Scotia, East Preston)

    Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard is the first African Nova Scotian woman to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, representing the province of Nova Scotia. Senator Bernard is a proud resident of East Preston, where she lives with her daughter Candace, son-in-law David and grandsons Damon and Gavin. Senator Bernard champions issues impacting African Canadians and people living with disabilities. She is particularly invested in human rights, employment equity, and mental health. Through her involvement in community projects, her social work career, her time with Dalhousie School of Social Work, and now her work in the Senate, Senator Bernard has maintained a deep dedication to social justice and racial justice. Senator Bernard advocates for reparations for the historical and continued anti-Black racism impacting the lives of African Canadians.

    Dr. Melanie Doucet, PhD Social Work, Executive Director & Project Lead, National Council of Youth in Care Advocates (NCYICA)

    Dr. Doucet has been working to improve the lives of youth in care for nearly 20 years. She is a former youth in care originally from New Brunswick, and is now based in the unceded traditional territory of the Kanyenʼkehá꞉ka (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, a member of the McGill Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF) and the Executive Director of the newly established lived experience-led organization, the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates (NCYICA). 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. 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 members of the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates.

Description

Between October and November 2024, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights held meetings to study the complex issue of youth aging out of care in Canada. The committee heard from 28 witnesses and received five briefs that outlined the rights and vulnerabilities of children and youth aging out of child protection systems and other forms of out-of-home care across the country. Released in December 2025, the Nothing to Celebrate report calls for a paradigm shift in Canada’s child protection systems. The committee echoes calls for a more prevention-based approach to child protection to ensure the well-being of children and youth in care via 8 recommendations, including a national summit and action plan on supporting the transition to adulthood for youth in care guided by the Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care, developed by Dr. Doucet and the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates.

During this webinar, the audience will learn about:

  • The key findings of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights study on youth ‘aging out’ of care in Canada
  • The 8 recommendations for change and how they are guided by the Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care
  • The implications for child welfare policy and practice
  • Key next steps