Being removed from home and placed in out-of-home care (OOHC) can be a distressing and confusing experience for children. They often don’t know why they are being removed and, in most cases, do not wish to be even if their homelife is unsafe. After the distress of removal, children enter a system that can distort their sense of identity, affect their ability to participate in decision-making and other important aspects of life, and erode their feelings of self-worth.
With much research and focus on poor outcomes for children in care, it can feel as though these effects are inevitable. However, there are many opportunities for practitioners who have contact with children in OOHC to shift these outcomes. Even in the face of a complex system like child protection. Understanding how identity, participation and self-worth are impacted for children in care and considering even small ways that you can support these elements can go a long way towards providing children with the things they need for their social, emotional and mental wellbeing while in care.
Some of the ideas presented in this course may be familiar to you, but we hope they present you with new or different ways of thinking about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children in care. As you move through the course, you’ll be invited to consider how these concepts apply to your setting and the important work you already do with children living in OOHC.
