Dr. Doucet has been working to improve the lives of youth in care for over 20 years, starting in her home province of New Brunswick, and now based in the unceded traditional territory of the Kanyenʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) Nation in Montreal, Quebec. She is a former youth in care, holds a PhD in Social Work, is an expert consultant, an Adjunct Professor at the McGill University School of Social Work and Université Laval, 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). Prior to relocating to Montreal, Dr. Doucet was a Project Officer for the Government of N.B.’s award winning Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) project for children and youth with emotional, behavioural and mental health issues, and was pivotal to its province-wide implementation. Her doctoral research, Relationships Matter for Youth ‘Aging Out’ of Care, received national attention and provided a platform for youth from care in the Greater Vancouver Area to develop child welfare research, policy and practice recommendations based on their lived experience expertise.
Dr. Doucet is a renowned public speaker on the importance of equitably supporting youth in and from care from a rights-based and humane perspective. Her work has received high-level acclaim including a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral scholarship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grants, and most recently, the Erminie Cohen Compassion Award. Dr. Doucet’s research aims to provide a platform for the voice of youth from care in proposing specific recommendations relevant to child welfare policies, programs and intervention strategies targeted to young people in care transitioning to adulthood. She is a passionate mentor to and advocate for youth involved in the child welfare system, 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.
"Without the support and recognition I received as a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholar, I am certain that my doctoral trajectory would have gone quite differently. Through the connections that I made via the Foundation at the various yearly conferences and Summer Institutes, I was able to secure further funding and support to do my doctoral research project in Vancouver. The project was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life thus far, as I was able to pursue my research with other former youth in care in a collaborative and engaging way. The Foundation allowed me to do the research that I had always dreamed of doing, by connecting me with the right people, making me feel confident in my somewhat radical social justice research approaches, and providing me with the necessary financial support to focus on my mission. I will forever be grateful for my experience as a scholar, and look forward to a continued engagement with the Foundation community as an alumna."
Finding Our Way Home: Exploring the experiences of young people who have ‘aged out’ of care and experienced homelessness in Canada.
2025
Abstract
Background: Studies have shown that youth exiting care are drastically overrepresented in the homelessness population. Few studies, however, have explored the experiences of homelessness of young people after they have exited care using participatory methods.
Objective: This study explores youth's experiences during and after their placements in the child welfare system, their experiences with homelessness, and the factors that contributed to vulnerability or resilience.
Participants and setting: Eight youth co-researchers were engaged in this study between the ages 18–25 residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, with both child welfare and homelessness experience.
Method: A Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology using photovoice was used in this phenomenological study. Session transcripts and photographs were thematically analyzed to identify common themes.
Findings: Three thematic categories emerged: (1) protective factors; (2) dual protective and risk factors; (3) risk factors. Six participants were employed while experiencing homelessness. Community apathy was identified as a significant risk factor by most youth co-researchers. Half identified unsuitable foster care placements as contributors to homelessness. All disclosed that their social workers changed frequently and were unsupportive while they were in care and/or during their transition to adulthood. Protective factors included hope, self-care and community supports, including individuals in youth's lives described as “champions” who took an interest in the youth's life and advocated on their behalf.
Conclusion: Findings from this study provide a nuanced and youth-centered exploration of both the risk and protective factors that contribute to young people's trajectories from the child welfare system into (and out of) homelessness.
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Finding Our Way Home: A collaborative photovoice research project with young people from the Halifax Regional Municipality who have ‘aged out’ of care and experienced homelessness.
2024
Research report published by the Dalhousie University Resilience Research Center.
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Report From the Field. The Power of First Voice Advocacy: Rallying lived expertise to support equitable transitions to adulthood for youth in care in Canada.
2023
Abstract: This report describes a national lived experience advocacy movement generated by the work of the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates to support equitable transitions to adulthood for youth in care in Canada. The emergence of the National Council at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic is presented, as well as the ongoing progress and achievements in advocacy and best practice efforts at the national and local jurisdiction levels. This article, by three members of the National Council, is the first to provide an account of the process associated with national lived experience advocacy mobilization by and for youth in care.
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Youth in Care Matter: Examining the experiences of youth ‘aging out’ of the Canadian child welfare system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023
Research report published by McGill University Centre for Research on Children and Families.
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Supporting Equitable Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care in British Columbia: A post-pandemic overview.
2023
Policy Brief published by the Child Welfare League of Canada.
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Chapter 5: Child Welfare in Canada. In J. Duer Berrick, N. Gilbert & M. Skivenes (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Child Protection Systems, pp.90-111.
2023
Abstract: This chapter looks into the child welfare system in Canada, which is focused on the child’s safety instead of the welfare of the family and child. Child protection systems have characteristics of mandatory reporting of suspected cases, service eligibility depending on maltreatment investigations, the option of using court orders, and out-of-home care settings. Indigenous children are significantly overrepresented in the child welfare system and children being placed in out-of-home care. The chapter also notes the rise of child welfare services in response to industrialism, capitalism, and urbanization as it sparked social issues like child labor, poverty, and the destitution of families.
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Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care Evaluation Model: Primer Report.
2022
Report published by the Child Welfare League of Canada.
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Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care Evaluation Model.
2022
Published by the Child Welfare League of Canada.
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Chapter 11: Addressing Child Maltreatment in Canada: What Have We Learned? In R. Alaggia & C. Vine (Eds.), Cruel But Not Unusual: Violence in relationships and families in Canada, 3rd edition.
2022
Picture family life in Canada. Does it include women or girls being murdered, on average, every two and a half days? Or the fact that intimate partner violence counts as nearly one-third of all reports to police? Or that child or elder abuse is more common than you might imagine?
Written for students, instructors, practitioners, and advocates in all related fields, this expanded and updated third edition of Cruel But Not Unusual: Violence in Families in Canada offers the latest research, thinking, and strategies to address this hard reality in Canada today.
Violence takes many forms inside relationships and families, and the systems charged with responding and helping can actually add to the harm, further isolating and endangering victims. Nowhere is this more evident than in intentionally marginalized communities, such as Indigenous, Black, people of colour, LGBTQI2S+, people with disabilities, and immigrant, refugee, and non-status women. From recommendations on resisting anti-Black state-sanctioned violence, to a call to action on partner abuse within LGBTQI2S+ communities, the book offers bold ideas for moving forward, highlighting the work of researchers and activists from these communities.
Using a range of perspectives (feminist, trauma-informed, intersectional, anti-oppression) and including diverse couple and family relationships and settings (foster care, group homes, institutions), the contributors track violence across the life course, addressing the impact on the brain, trauma, coercive control, resilience, disclosing abuse, the MeToo movement, self-care, and providing practical case examples and guidelines for working with children, youth, adults, couples, families, and groups. The result is an authoritative source that offers new insights and approaches to inform understanding, policy, practice, and prevention.
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Independent Living Programs and Services for Youth ‘Aging Out’ of Care in Canada and the U.S.: A Systematic Review.
2022
Abstract: Evidence from American and Canadian studies over the last three decades demonstrates that youth exiting foster care are at a much higher risk to face a multiplicity of challenges than their peers who are not in care. These challenges result in negative outcomes, such as high rates of homelessness, under-education, unemployment or under-employment, poverty, mental health issues and post-traumatic stress, substance abuse and early pregnancy or parenthood. This systematic review addresses Independent Living Program (ILP) and Independent Living Services (ILS) studies in the U.S. and Canada published between 2000 and 2018. In order to compile a list of relevant ILP and ILS impact studies, a bibliographic search of six databases was conducted for the peer-reviewed literature, and the grey literature was searched using Google and expert consultation. The search yielded a total of 64 studies after applying our study selection protocol, with 50 from the peer review literature and 14 from the grey literature. The clear majority of studies originated from the U.S., with only three Canadian studies emerging from the grey literature. This is most likely due to differences in mandated data collection and reporting. In the U.S., data collection and reporting is mandatory under the Foster Care Independence Act in 1999. In Canada, there is no such mandatory reporting as child welfare services are under the sole jurisdiction of the provinces, with no Federal government involvement aside from First Nations children and youth. Studies to date suggest that ILP and ILS are not producing the intended outcomes, with limited to no impact demonstrated on youth leaving care wellbeing outcomes. In fact, some of the studies found a negative impact, especially related to social support. Much of the ILP and ILS studies did not incorporate the voices of youth in care, but rather focused on program process and components, staff experiences, and outcome measures such as social support, employment, income, housing and self-sufficiency. Of the limited ILP and ILS studies incorporating youth perspectives, youth in care often indicated that emotional support and mentoring are crucial needs during the transition to adulthood, which are often not the focus of ILP or ILS. Moreover, compared to the U.S., program impact studies in Canada are sorely lacking; more research needs to be done in this area to build our knowledge of evidence-based and best practices. This systematic review highlights two main conclusions: (1) Both the U.S. and Canada sorely need innovation with respect to preparing youth in care for the transition to adulthood; and (2) We also must commit to using rigorous research designs with such programming to determine the impact of such new approaches. In sum, we must reconceptualize our investment in youth in care and focus on their interdependence in order to realize their potential.
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Nothing About Us Without Us: Using Participatory Action Research (PAR) & arts-based research methods as empowerment and social justice tools in doing research with youth 'aging out' of care.
2022
Abstract: Child welfare practices and policies are often disconnected from youth in care's perspectives and lived realities. Youth ‘aging out’ of care should be empowered to define their own needs, goals and success based on the unique context they are transitioning from. In research, this can be supported by engaging them as co-researchers through emancipatory approaches.
Participatory Action Research (PAR) requires collaboration with those who are affected by the issue being studied in all aspects of the research, with the aim to build advocacy capacity and affect transformative social change. Photovoice employs photography and group dialogue - the fusion of images and words - as an empowerment tool, through which individuals can work together to represent their own lived experiences rather than have their stories told and interpreted by others. This is a particularly powerful approach in engaging youth with care experience, as they are often systemically disenfranchised, isolated and in need of connections to the community.
This article presents the Relationships Matter for Youth ‘Aging Out’ of Care project, a Participatory Action Research (PAR) photovoice research project with young people with lived experience, as a case study. The project aimed to take a closer look at the relationships that matter to youth from care and how they can be nurtured over time. Narratives about the experience of participating in the project are also featured, from the perspectives of three of the youth co-researchers. Some of the benefits, challenges and lessons learned are also explored, framed within the Relationships Matter project methodology and process. Recommendations for future social work research are also presented.
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Policy Brief: Supporting Equitable Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care in Canada.
2021
Policy Brief published by the Child Welfare League of Canada.
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Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care.
2021
Report published by the Child Welfare League of Canada.
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A Long Road Paved with Solutions: 'Aging out' of care reports in Canada. Key recommendations and timelines (1987-2020).
2020
Report published by the Child Welfare League of Canada.
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Bureaucratic CERB mix-up hurts former foster kids.
2020
Opinion piece published by Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) Policy Options.
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Opinion : COVID-19 : il faut un moratoire pour les jeunes de la DPJ.
2020
Opinion piece published by The Conversation.
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All My Relations: Examining nonhuman relationships as sources of social capital for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth 'aging out' of care in Canada.
2020
Abstract
Objective: Provincial and territorial legislation across Canada mandates child welfare agencies to release youth from their care at the age of majority. Consequently, youth exiting care tend to have limited support networks, mostly comprised of formal and short-term connections. There is a gap in research examining long-term supportive relationships from the perspectives of youth who have 'aged out' of care.
Methods: This PAR photovoice project involved 8 former youth in care ages 19 to 29 in Vancouver, B.C. over the course of 12 weeks, and entailed collaborative thematic analysis of the photographs. The lead researcher executed additional analysis following the data collection phase.
Results: Relationships to culture, spirituality and the land were identified as important by racialized and Indigenous youth. Animal companions also emerged as an important non-human connection. Key barriers included a lack of culturally matched foster placements and social workers, gentrification, housing restrictions and a narrow definition of family relationships. Key strengthening factors included supportive community organizations and culturally responsive workers.
Conclusion and Implications: Findings highlight the importance of including the relationships that matter to youth in care within child welfare decision-making and planning processes, and a need for systemic investment in long-term nurturing of those relationships. Connections that are outside of the traditional social capital framework for young people in care, such as non-human relationships, also need to be valued. By doing so, youth exiting care have a better chance at accumulating social capital and building a support network they can rely on during their transition to adulthood.
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Factors that promote or hinder a Youth in Care Network: A report from the field.
2020
Abstract: This report describes the evolution of an independent youth-led organization for youth in and from care in Quebec. The emergence of CARE Jeunesse is presented and compared with two other networks in Canada. Factors that promoted and hindered its development are discussed particularly as they apply to issues outlined in the youth engagement literature. The board of CARE Jeunesse, comprising former youth in care, wrote this article with the participation of a university professor who is an adult ally to the alumni of care movement in Quebec. This report is the first publication that provides an account of the processes associated with developing a youth in care network in Canada.
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Relationships Matter: Examining the pathways to long-term supportive relationships for youth 'aging out' of care.
2020
Abstract: In Canada, youth in government care who have not found a permanent placement are expected to transition to adulthood quite rapidly at the age of 18 or 19. This contrasts with the experience of their peers, who tend to stay at home up until age 29 and remain interdependent on their support networks throughout their adult lives. Due to the cut-off of services, youth exiting care tend to have limited support networks, and most of their connections are formal and short-term. These policies and practices hinder the ability of youth exiting care to build social and human capital to support them during transition to adulthood, despite research indicating that supportive long-term relationships can act as a bridge and buffer during this transition. Research also illustrates that the status quo is not working: most young people are at high risk of experiencing difficulties after ’aging out’ such as homelessness, under-education, unemployment or underemployment, economic hardships, mental health issues, PTSD, substance abuse and early pregnancy or parenthood. There is a lack of understanding on the perspectives of youth who have ’aged out’ of care on long-term supportive relationships during the transition to adulthood, in addition to how to establish and maintain those relationships.This collaborative Participatory Action Research (PAR) photovoice project focused on elevating the voices of eight former youth in care between the ages of 19 and 29 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The research aimed to take a closer look, through the power of images and accompanying captions, at the relationships that matter to youth from care, and how those relationships can be developed and nurtured over time. Photography training and facilitated weekly group discussions were held over the course of 12 weeks. Thematic analysis of the photographs was conducted as a group during the last 3 weeks of the project, and the lead researcher executed additional analysis following the data collection phase. Forty-one key sub-themes emerged from the photographs captured and selected by the youth co-researchers as part of the photo contextualization and analysis process. These sub-themes are divided across three thematic categories: (1) relationships that matter to youth exiting care; (2) barriers to establishing long-term supportive relationships; (3) strengthening factors in establishing long-term supportive relationships. In addition, 34 concrete recommendations for change to child welfare policy and practice were developed by the youth co-researchers, identified across 12 overarching themes. Key findings showcase the need for broadening the definition of family relationships to include parent-like mentors and animal companions. Connections to spirituality, culture and the land were also identified as important, especially for racialized and Indigenous youth. Most expressed a need for preserving and maintaining sibling relationships while in care, as siblings often get separated and the relationship becomes damaged over time. A lack of trauma-informed practices was identified as a main barrier in establishing supportive long-term relationships with caregivers and front line workers. Findings highlight the importance of including the relationships that matter to youth in care within child welfare decision-making and planning processes, and a need for systemic investment in long-term nurturing of those relationships. This requires an exiting care paradigm shift from one that is focused on independent living to one of interdependent living. Connections that are outside of the traditional social capital framework for young people in care, such as non-human relationships, also need to be valued. By including those key relationships in decision-making and planning processes, youth exiting care have a better chance at building a social support network they can rely on during their transition to adulthood.
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Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care Research Report.
2018
Report published by the B.C. Representative for Children & Youth.
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Opinion: Breaking the cycle for "crossover youth".
2018
Opinion piece published by Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) Policy Options.
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Opinion: Putting the care back into foster care.
2017
Opinion piece published by Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) Policy Options.
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Opinion: Empowering youth ‘aging out’ of foster care.
2016
Opinion piece published by the Vancouver Sun.
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New Brunswick Adoption Foundation Erminie Cohen Compassion Award
2023
Recipients of the Erminie Cohen Compassion Award are chosen based on their
outstanding contribution to the welfare and well-being of children, youth, and/or families
in New Brunswick as well as their ability to inspire and be a catalyst or mentor for the
engagement of others.
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Children's Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC), Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids National Award
2019
Finalist. The Award is part of the Foundation’s Stand Up
for Kids national campaign for child welfare mobilizing Canadians who want to help
change the future for the country’s most at-risk children and youth. The award amount is
donated to a charitable organization of the finalist's choice (Head & Hands, for the
Montreal Youth in Care Alumni Association).
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Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) 2019 Storytellers Contest
2019
Top 25 finalist. SSHRC’s annual Storytellers contest challenges
postsecondary students from across the country to tell the story - in three minutes or in
300 words - of how SSHRC-funded research is making a difference in the lives of
Canadians.
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Centering lived expertise: Transforming child welfare in Canada.
2025
Beyond Binaries podcast, Season 3, episode 16.
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Finding Our Way Home: A collaborative photovoice research project with young people who have ‘aged out’ of care and experienced homelessness.
2024
Photo exhibit at the Halifax Public Library.
Aging Out of Foster Care.
2024
Expert witness for the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, October 21, 2024, Ottawa, ON.
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L’heure de pointe avec Amélie Gosselin : Ayant grandi en famille d’accueil, elle travaille pour réformer le système.
2024
Radio-Canada Acadie, le 20 novembre, 2024.
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Key to reducing homelessness? Ask them what they need, researcher says
2024
CBC News New Brunswick, October 27, 2024.
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Dr. Melanie Doucet: Involving the voices of lived experience in Child Welfare policy reform.
2024
On The Way Home Podcast, February 22, 2024.
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Photos tell a thousand stories of youth homelessness and aging out of foster care.
2024
Halifax Examiner, January 11, 2024.
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Finding Our Way Home: A collaborative photovoice project with young people who have ‘aged out’ of care and experienced homelessness.
2024
Photo e-book
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Meet the woman behind the push for foster care reforms.
2023
The Telegraph Journal, November 13, 2023.
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How BC Can Better Support Youth Aging Out of Foster Care.
2023
The Tyee, February 10, 2023.
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The National Council of Youth in Care Advocates: The Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care.
2023
Project video
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Youth in Care Matter: ‘Aging Out’ of the Child Welfare System during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A digital arts-based project with youth in and from care across Canada.
2023
Artistic submissions e-book
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B.C. youth in government care to get iPhones, but other needs on hold.
2021
Vancouver Sun, October 14, 2021.
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Youth advocates call on governments to meet ‘equitable standards’ for kids transitioning out of care.
2021
IndigiNews, October 8, 2021.
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Advocates call to extend support for Manitoba youth in foster care beyond an age cut-off.
2021
CBC News Manitoba, October 6, 2021.
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Youth in protective care in N.B. get another stay against ‘aging out’.
2021
CBC News New Brunswick, March 29, 2021.
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Youth advocates push for better support for young people aging out of foster care during COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
The Globe and Mail, March 10, 2021.
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Moratoire sur la décharge des jeunes pris en charge par les services sociaux.
2021
Radio-Canada, Ici Toronto, L’heure de pointe Toronto/Windsor avec Alison Vicrobeck, le 3 mars, 2021.
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Témoignage d'expert (expert testimony) à la Commission spéciale sur les droits des enfants et de la protection de la jeunesse.
2020
Commission Laurent hearings, Wednesday January 8, 2020. Montreal, QC: Commission Laurent.
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As vulnerable youth face CERB clawbacks, Trudeau says Liberals looking over options.
2020
CTV News, Politics, by Jordan Press, December 17, 2020
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Des jeunes placés pourraient se retrouver "à rue" en pleine pandémie.
2020
Journal Métro, 24 mars 2020.
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Placée six fois, elle s'attaque maintenant au système de protection de la jeunesse.
2020
Journal Métro, January 10, 2020.
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Quebec needs a 'youth ombudsman': McGill expert.
2020
Montreal Gazette, January 8, 2020.
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Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care Photo Exhibit
2019
Photo Exhibit at the 2019 Symposium on Child and Youth Trauma, Montreal, QC.
Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care: A photovoice exhibit exploring the pathways to supportive long-term relationships for care leavers in British Columbia
2019
Photo exhibit at the 2019 Canadian Association for Social Work Education Conference, Vancouver, B.C.
Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care: A conversation with Melanie Doucet and Harrison Pratt, Part 2.
2019
Discussions on Child & Youth Care (CYC) Podcast, November 27, 2019.
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Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care: A conversation with Melanie Doucet and Harrison Pratt, Part 1.
2019
Discussions on Child & Youth Care (CYC) Podcast, October 30, 2019.
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How former youth in care are working to fix Canada's child welfare system.
2019
CBC Radio One, The Sunday Edition with Connie Walker, September 1, 2019.
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Influence U: Going beyond the op-ed.
2019
Interview with Letitia Henville for the Literary Review of Canada article, August 22, 2019.
Read more
Want to fix foster care? Ask kids who have been through the system
2018
Tyee article, December 13, 2018
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Relationships Matter: Examining the pathways to supportive long-term relationship for youth 'aging out' of care.
2018
Project video
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Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care: A Collaborative Photovoice Project by Former Youth in Care in British Columbia.
2018
Photo e-book
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ndependence vs. Interdependence: Removing the expiry date on relationships for youth 'aging out' of care.
2018
Talk presented at the annual Children's Aid Foundation of Canada's Five14 Talks, May 12, 2018. Toronto, ON: Children's Aid Foundation of Canada.
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Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care Photo Exhibit.
2017
Photo exhibit at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, Vancouver, B.C.
La photographie au service des jeunes
2017
Radio Canada Vancouver Phare Ouest, December 18, 2017
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Creating Connections Through Photography
2017
Tyee article, December 15, 2017
Read more
