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Poor outcomes for youth leaving care in the Global South (GS) are amplified due to inadequate transition planning, cultural differences, and limited resources. For young women, these challenges are compounded by gendered expectations. The substantial research gap on the experiences of ‘aging-out’ youth in the GS contributes to the lack of pilot transition programs. Additionally, research and policy recommendations have largely neglected to examine transition from care as a gendered issue. This research partnership, in conjunction with a partner organization in Trinidad and Tobago – Couva Children’s Home and Crisis Nursery (CCHCN) sought to develop contextually relevant and gender-informed recommendations informing the development of transition services for young women leaving care. Building from a rapid review of existing literature as well as stakeholder interviews, the core recommendations emphasize the importance of proactive planning and personalized transition supports. Limited financial capacity remains a barrier for transition program development.
Introduction
Young people aging out of care are often met with inadequate transition support, contributing to poor outcomes around mental and physical health, education, and employment. While the existing body of transition literature suggests that these challenges are broadly similar across the global north (GN) and south (GS), adverse outcomes for care leavers in the global south are amplified by inadequate transition plans, cultural differences, and limited resources. For young girls leaving care, the challenges associated with the transition period are further compounded by their gender (Roberts, 2021).
The lack of pilot transition programs across the global south poses a major challenge for youth currently leaving care and program development. Moreover, despite the substantially different experiences of young women leaving care, much of the existing transition literature takes a gender-blind approach to transition from care (Roberts, 2021; Williams, 2015). As such, there is a vital need for research rooted in the local context to bolster the development of suitable transitional services, programs, and models for care leavers, particularly for young women.
This research was carried out under a Social Services and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SSHRC) Partnership Engage Grant. The SSHRC encourages partnered research activities responding to the identified needs and challenges of partner organizations. Our partner organization was Couva Children’s Home and Crisis Nursery (CCHCN), a children’s home in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). CCHCN noted that the lack of transition supports resulted in poor outcomes for former residents, particularly for young women. This partnership established context specific research and recommendations to guide the development of CCHCN’s proposed Girls’ Empowerment Centre - a transition facility for young women leaving care in T&T.
Overview
Couva Children’s Home and Crisis Nursery (CCHCN)’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by young women leaving care in T&T underscore the importance of context and gender specific transition supports. CCHCN has operated a residential children’s home in Cuova, Trinidad & Tobago for more than 30 years. Currently, CCHCN houses children aged 3 to 17 and in keeping with state policy, offers limited transitional support for residents who are discharged at age 18. In the context of T&T, critical research and policy gaps on transition from care contribute to a lack of standardized transition programs and an overreliance on imported models and programs (Roberts, 2016). There are also no government operated facilities directed at young girls leaving care, as there are for their male counterparts. The research and policy gaps on transition services in the global south and the experiences of young women leaving care supported the importance and timeliness of the partnership.
The partnered research unfolded in four phases across nine months. First, a rapid review of published and grey literature was conducted to identify relevant contextual details and a list of promising practices with regards to youth transitioning from care within the Caribbean and the Global South more generally. Next, interviews and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders to assess and refine the list of promising practices and gather additional data. All stakeholders, including young women who grew up in care, staff, and government officials, contributed a unique perspective on the experience of young women in residential care in T&T. Finally, recommendations for expanded transition services and programs for young women were drafted and refined based on the rapid review and stakeholder interviews and in consultation with CCHCN. These recommendations contribute to establishing an evidence base for expanding transitional support within T&T that may provide relevant insights across the Caribbean and in other under-researched contexts in the global south.
Importance of local context
While there have been global calls to shift away from institutional models of care, residential homes have continued to persist in T&T (e.g., UNCRC, 1989). This points to the country’s unique residential care system and the need for contextually relevant policy and programs. While children’s services and care in high-income countries tend to “operate in broadly similar contexts” (O’Higgins et al., 2017), this is not true of systems in the global south. Given the differences in the socio-economic and cultural context, the child welfare systems in high income countries in the global north cannot simply be transplanted into low and middle income countries (LMIC). Similarly, the widely variable contexts in LMIC means that models and evidence from other LMIC cannot be assumed to be suitable and must be carefully assessed.
The lack of local research contributes to T&T’s reliance on programs and models exported from the US and Canada (Roberts, 2016). It is no wonder that in 2012, the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago published a report lamenting “the paucity of data on children and children’s issues in Trinidad and Tobago as a real challenge” in decision making and policy development” (p. 18). With respect to the needs of young girls aging out of care, T&T’s unique residential care system reinforces the need for transitional programs and services modeled upon locally relevant, evidence-based research.
Transition from care as a gendered issue
The lack of transition planning and preparedness programs limits the options of young people leaving care. Young women aging out of care are faced with even fewer options given pervasive gendered scripts and expectations. For example, while some residential institutions offer perfunctory programs to young women aging out of care, their focus is on domestic skills rather than skills training or housing and employment support (Roberts, 2021). In sharp contrast, Marian House, a live-in transition program provides support for aging-out boys in T&T (Ali, 2013). In the absence of similar support, young girls leaving residential care without family or community support are driven to adopt dire survival tactics. They may choose to access an adult women’s shelter, attempt to reconnect with family, or temporarily board with staff members from the residential home in exchange for low rent or domestic work (Williams, 2015; Roberts, 2016). More troubling, some develop a sexual relationship with a man to secure a place to stay, echoing existing expectations that a young woman leaving care will become attached to a man who will support her (Roberts, 2021).
The changing economic context of T&T contributes to the precarity faced by young women transitioning out of care. With limited options, young women leaving care tend to find employment in the informal sector, leaving them particularly vulnerable to economic downturns and economic inequality (CAFRAT&T, 2021). Experiences of homelessness, breakdown of family placements, poverty, mental health struggles, and inability to continue education are staggeringly commonplace (Roberts, 2016). Gender-informed analysis and recommendations are critical in identifying the specific barriers experienced by young women as well as potential protective factors against these vulnerabilities.
Theoretical approaches
Feminist and post-colonial theory informed the analysis of the gendered experiences of young women leaving residential care in T&T. Feminist theory centers the experiences of political, social, and cultural domination which women face under patriarchy (Payne, 2014) and is critical to understanding the experience of transition from care as a gendered issue. Post-colonial theory examines and critiques the economic, social, and cultural conditions which arise from colonialism and its aftermath (Jary & Jary, 2003). Howard-Hamilton (2003) points to the challenge of finding and applying theoretical constructs which capture the complexity of the experiences of African American women. As such, combining these approaches provided a theoretical basis for understanding the needs and experiences of the young Caribbean women at the center of this study.
Post-colonial and feminist theory emphasize the importance of contextualizing individual experiences within an understanding of the political, historical, cultural, and structural background. This is particularly important given T&T’s religious and ethnic diversity. These theoretical approaches are especially relevant because the child welfare system in T&T is a direct product of historical and ongoing colonialism. As such, contemporary poverty and disadvantage in T&T (which are the primary drivers of the residential care system) are deeply rooted in colonial and slavery-based economies (Martin, 2012).
T&T’s first children’s homes were established in the mid to late 19th century to care for the orphaned children of deceased indentured or formerly enslaved workers (Roberts, 2021). In the current day, residents are typically not orphaned but are taken in from the wider community due to poverty, neglect, and/or abuse (CATT, 2012). The establishment of residential institutions disrupted existing extensive kinship care systems in favour of a capitalist model of care (Colton, 1992; Jones, 1993). Despite this colonial imposition and the encouragement of nuclear family models, the practice of kinship care is deeply culturally rooted in T&T and has contributed to the country’s unique residential care system.
These theoretical approaches seek not only to explain but to understand the gendered experiences of young women leaving care in T&T. Combining feminist and post-colonial thought is critical to a comprehensive assessment of the applicability of existing research, practices, and models.
Recommendations
The core finding of this study, both from a review of existing literature and focus groups conducted with stakeholders and young women who grew up in care, was the importance of proactive planning. From the moment a child is admitted into a residential home, individualized transition plans should be developed. Transition planning is particularly important for girls leaving care given that their post-transition opportunities are often limited. A focus on career counseling and building pathways to economic independence is crucial to expanding the opportunities available to young women leaving care and mitigating potential sexual exploitation and abuse.
Before transition
Social support and stability are central to determining the outcomes of young women leaving care. The stability and continuity of care should be prioritized. A stable environment allows for minimal disruptions to schooling and provides a foundation for building critical life skills including emotional resilience, self-sufficiency, and healthy self-perception. These developmental supports should be holistic, culturally relevant, and attentive to gendered differences. Caregivers should be given educational training on evidence-based frameworks and models including feminist, post-colonial, and trauma-informed approaches. These practices allow for caregivers and social workers to put residents’ experiences and histories in perspective.
Detailed discharge plans should be developed, in consultation with family members, caregivers, and kinship members prior to the young person leaving the residence. Transition plans should prioritize plans for housing, employment, health care, and general social services. They must also be proactive in mitigating the risks of sexual exploitation. Continuous support should be fostered through a designated social worker as well as through community agencies and partnerships. Finally, an extended transition to adulthood through a minimum three-year optional transitional program would provide residents with additional time to acquire the skills and support necessary for a successful transition. Extended care builds a network of resources that could act as a protective factor against the gendered challenges faced by young women leaving care.
During and after transition
Post-care support should focus on mental and physical health, education, financial support, and expanding the social network of young women leaving care. Youth should receive increased educational support should they choose to pursue post-secondary education. Similarly, children’s aid societies and community agencies could collaborate to create emergency housing funds available to youth leaving care. Additionally, relationships between current and former residents should be fostered through peer-mentorship relationships. Identifying potential sources of funding in international grants, private donors, and other funding partners is important for long-term sustainability. Finally, advocacy initiatives drawing attention to the challenges faced by young women leaving care are crucial to building public support for expanded transitional supports.
Conclusion
The issue of poor outcomes associated with transition from care is a global one. The experience of being doubly marginalized by gender and care status shapes experiences of vulnerability and exploitation faced by young women leaving care. The challenges faced by young women aging out of care in T&T will resonate across diverse contexts, particularly in other LMIC. While the similarities in the experiences of care leavers across the globe are important, differences in resource availability vary significantly. These recommendations are ambitious in scope and are potentially transformative, but funding remains an existential challenge across LMIC. The financial capacity of CCHCN and other similar organizations must be supported by public and private sectors to ensure long-lasting success and positive outcomes for care leavers. CCHCN’s vision of a Girls Empowerment Centre, a residential transition program supporting the needs of young women leaving care, requires meaningful advocacy efforts and sustainable funding sources in order to be fully realized.
References
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