Educational outcomes for young people in out of home care are dire, and advocates say more needs to be done

1 year ago

For young people ion out of home care, the prospect of getting a good education is remote. Victorian children in care are five times more likely to be suspended or expelled from school, and complete year 12 at drastically lower rates than the rest of the population. Victoria’s Commissioner for Children and Young People says it’s a reflection on a system that claims to protect and support children and young people, but too often fails.

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00:00It's been five years since Jackie completed her VCE.

00:06The art room is pretty much the same as what you would remember.

00:10But she very nearly didn't get there.

00:13Life was chaotic. I was moving back and forth from different kinds of care from the age

00:18of two, so not a lot of stability.

00:21Abuse, neglect and family violence disrupted her home life and her education. She changed

00:27primary schools frequently. Sometimes she didn't make it to school at all.

00:32I would often just be taken and placed somewhere else and my friends at school wouldn't know

00:37I'd kind of just disappear.

00:39At any given time, around 9,000 Victorian children are in out-of-home care. Only a quarter

00:46of them progress from year 10 to year 12, compared to more than 80% of students in the

00:52general population. In 2022, only 12 students living in residential care were enrolled

00:59in year 12, and none of them completed VCE.

01:03They're being punished for behaviours connected to trauma. They're being met with low expectations.

01:08They're being met with stigma. It really is, from my point of view as Children's Commissioner,

01:15pretty appalling and shameful state of affairs.

01:18In late 2023, the Commission tabled a major report in the Victorian Parliament, detailing

01:24the dire educational outcomes for children in care. It made 47 recommendations, from

01:30improved training to financial support. The State Government has so far failed to implement

01:35any.

01:38The Victorian Government says it's taking a staged approach to the Commission's recommendations.

01:43I really do think this is an area that needs significant action and urgent action, and

01:50to date I have not seen that urgency.

01:53Jackie's final school offered her the flexibility she needed to get over the line, allowing

01:59her to complete year 12 over three years. She recently qualified to be a nurse. Her

02:05former principal says there's no reason other kids in care can't also succeed.

02:10It's really important for schools, school leaders and our system to support the idea

02:16that all schools should be working in the space of supporting kids in out of home care.

02:21Jackie's looking forward to a more secure future.

02:24Stable income, stable housing, not having to move around, that'd be nice.

02:32Walking a different path.

Educational outcomes for young people in out of home care are dire, and advocates say more needs to be done

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