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Passports out of poverty: Raising access to higher education for care leavers in Australia

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  • McNamara, Patricia
  • Harvey, Andrew
  • Andrewartha, Lisa

Abstract

Access to education has long been associated with lifelong wellbeing and poverty prevention. Indeed, education is often described as a ‘passport out of poverty’. For care leavers, higher education access can create powerful social and economic protection, but poverty often creates both material and cultural barriers to this access. The research described here explored the access and achievement of care leavers in Australian higher education. The study employed mixed methods, including a literature review; examination of national data sets; an online survey of public universities; and interviews with out-of-home care (OOHC) providers. Here we present qualitative findings from the online survey and interviews which captured the perspectives of senior representatives within both the higher education and community service sectors. These findings reveal the role that childhood poverty, trauma and disadvantage play in affecting education outcomes for many growing up in OOHC. Learning deficits and disabilities clearly affect academic preparedness for higher education. Poverty can also limit the ability to afford the costs of university study and reduce the capacity to visualise and construct an educational future. Educational disadvantage is often combined with limited institutional support for care leavers, exacerbating their marginalisation from higher education. Our findings highlight both a paucity of Australian research in this area and the disturbingly small number of care leavers who successfully transition to higher education. Raising university access requires specific measures to redress poverty, including financial support for care leavers beyond the age of 18, and study bursaries, fee remission and accommodation support. More broadly, cultural change is needed to address the consequences of poverty, which often include low educational expectations and horizons.

Suggested Citation

  • McNamara, Patricia & Harvey, Andrew & Andrewartha, Lisa, 2019. "Passports out of poverty: Raising access to higher education for care leavers in Australia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 85-93.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:97:y:2019:i:c:p:85-93
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.07.015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Noble-Carr, Debbie & Barker, Justin & McArthur, Morag & Woodman, Elise, 2014. "Improving practice: The importance of connections in establishing positive identity and meaning in the lives of vulnerable young people," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(P3), pages 389-396.
    2. Jackson, Sonia & Cameron, Claire, 2012. "Leaving care: Looking ahead and aiming higher," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1107-1114.
    3. Arnau-Sabatés, Laura & Gilligan, Robbie, 2015. "What helps young care leavers to enter the world of work? Possible lessons learned from an exploratory study in Ireland and Catalonia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 185-191.
    4. Hook, Jennifer L. & Courtney, Mark E., 2011. "Employment outcomes of former foster youth as young adults: The importance of human, personal, and social capital," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1855-1865, October.
    5. Pecora, Peter J., 2012. "Maximizing educational achievement of youth in foster care and alumni: Factors associated with success," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1121-1129.
    6. Creed, Peter & Tilbury, Clare & Buys, Nicholas & Crawford, Meegan, 2011. "The career aspirations and action behaviours of Australian adolescents in out-of-home-care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1720-1729, September.
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    2. Liam Spencer & Hayley Alderson & Steph Scott & Eileen Kaner & Jonathan Ling, 2023. "‘The Addiction Was Making Things Harder for My Mental Health’: A Qualitative Exploration of the Views of Adults and Adolescents Accessing a Substance Misuse Treatment Service," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Disney, Tom & Walker, Charlie, 2023. "Young people leaving care and institutionalised vulnerability in the Russian Federation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    4. Pepe, Alessandro & Biffi, Elisabetta & Carla Montà, Chiara & Arciprete, Caterina & Biggeri, Mario, 2024. "Agency, participation in decision making and wellbeing among care leavers in care system: A quantitative mediation study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).

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