High prevalence of exposure to the child welfare system among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting: implications for policy and practice

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dc.contributor.authorBarker, Brittany
dc.contributor.authorKerr, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorAlfred, Gerald Taiaiake
dc.contributor.authorFortin, Michelle
dc.contributor.authorNguyen, Paul
dc.contributor.authorWood, Evan
dc.contributor.authorDeBeck, Kora
dc.date.accessioned2015-05-19T19:45:52Z
dc.date.available2015-05-19T19:45:52Z
dc.date.copyright2014en_US
dc.date.issued2014-02-24
dc.descriptionBioMed Centralen_US
dc.description.abstractBackground: Street-involved youth are more likely to experience trauma and adverse events in childhood; however, little is known about exposure to the child welfare system among this vulnerable population. This study sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of being in government care among street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada. Methods: From September 2005 to November 2012, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study, a prospective cohort of street-involved youth aged 14–26 who use illicit drugs. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with a history of being in government care. Results: Among our sample of 937 street-involved youth, 455 (49%) reported being in government care at some point in their childhood. In a multivariate analysis, Aboriginal ancestry (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50 – 2.85), younger age at first “hard” substance use (AOR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.05 – 1.16), high school incompletion (AOR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.00 – 1.95), having a parent that drank heavily or used illicit drugs (AOR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.09 – 2.01), and experiencing physical abuse (AOR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.22 – 2.96) were independently associated with exposure to the child welfare system. Conclusions: Youth with a history of being in government care appear to be at high-risk of adverse illicit substance-related behaviours. Evidence-based interventions are required to better support vulnerable children and youth with histories of being in the child welfare system, and prevent problematic substance use and street-involvement among this population.en_US
dc.description.reviewstatusRevieweden_US
dc.description.scholarlevelFacultyen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe study was supported by the US National Institutes of Health [R01-DA028532] and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [MOP–102742]. This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs program through a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine, which supports Dr. Evan Wood. Dr. Kora DeBeck is supported by a MSFHR/St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation‐Providence Health Care Career Scholar Award.en_US
dc.identifier.citationBarker et al.: High prevalence of exposure to the child welfare system among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting: implications for policy and practice. BMC Public Health 2014 14:197en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/197
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-197
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/6181
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherBMC Public Healthen_US
dc.rights.tempAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/*
dc.subjectChild welfare system
dc.subjectFoster care
dc.subjectGovernment care
dc.subjectStreet-involved youth
dc.subjectYouth substance use
dc.subject.departmentSchool of Indigenous Governance
dc.titleHigh prevalence of exposure to the child welfare system among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting: implications for policy and practiceen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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