Former kids in care need more support to make good use of free tuition, researcher says

The majority of people who have spent time in foster care need support — and not just free tuition — to succeed in higher education.

That's according to Jacquie Gahagan, who is nearing the end of a three-year research project on the topic.

Gahagan, the associate vice-president of research at Mount Saint Vincent University, is looking at the experiences of former kids in care who are using free tuition programs at 10 schools in Atlantic Canada, including some in Nova Scotia.

Gahagan said there are numerous barriers to education for people who have been in child welfare programs. The issue is pervasive, they said, with less than half of Canadians who have been in care completing high school, let alone university or college.

The solution, Gahagan said, will be different for every person.

"It really depends on their experience in care," they said in an interview.

Some common areas of concern that have come up in Gahagan's research are housing and food security, transportation to and from school, access to technology, and mental health.

Gahagan said the universities should offer help where they can, with non-profits and community groups picking up some of the slack. Plus there's a role for different levels of government to play, they said.

"What we need to do is look at a national standard," said Gahagan, noting there are inconsistencies between what's offered at different universities and by provincial governments across the country.

The first tuition-waiver program in Nova Scotia started in 2021 at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), and has since spread to universities including Mount Saint Vincent, St. Mary's University, Dalhousie University and the University of King's College.

The researcher shared some of their findings at a committee meeting of the Nova Scotia Legislature this week, where members were discussing economic barriers for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Gahagan said youth in that community are overrepresented in child and youth welfare programs, and therefore face the associated barriers to education disproportionately.

"We've got to stop that trend," said NDP MLA Lisa Lachance. "We have to do something to make things better."

Nova Scotia offers financial support to former youth in care for up to six years after they age out of the system — that is, from ages 19 to 25. They can receive $20,000 annually to start, and the amount gradually decreases to $10,000 per year by the final year.

A spokesperson for the Department of Opportunities and Social Development said there are also programs for former youth in care that offer social and career support.