Drawing upon best practices, academic research and lived expertise, Dr. Doucet and the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates developed the Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care in 2021. These standards are outlined across 8 transition to adulthood pillars to support more equitable transitions for youth in care across Canada. Systems and organizations are called to reframe policies and interventions to be youth-centered (vs. systems-centered) by meeting young people where they are at, and being adaptable to their ongoing needs in a trauma-informed way.
In 2025, the Senate of Canada released Nothing to Celebrate: The Crisis of Youth Aging Out of Care as a result of a national study launched in 2024. The report features 8 recommendations, including a call for a national summit and action plan guided by the Equitable Standards and wraparound supports for youth based on the 8 transition to adulthood pillars.
Dr. Melanie Doucet, Executive Director, National Council of Youth in Care Advocates (NCYICA)
The Honourable Senator Kim Pate, Senator for Ontario, Senate of Canada
To explore:
(1) The Canadian political and research context of youth ‘aging out’ of care, including the Senate of Canada report;
(2) The Equitable Standards, eight transition to adulthood pillars, associated key supports and how they can be implemented at the policy and practice levels via the Equitable Standards Evaluation Model;
(3) An overview of the legislative, policy and practice changes that have been implemented to date across Canada as a result of the Equitable Standards and next steps for nation-wide system change.
The session consist of a multimedia presentation portion to inform the audience of the Canadian realities and innovative lived expertise-led solutions to address the crisis of youth ‘aging out’ of care (e.g., PowerPoint presentation, video) and will also include an interactive Q&A period with the audience.
