Cocreating Empowered Leadership Outcomes with Former Youth in Care in BC.

The thesis Cocreating Empowered Leadership Outcomes with Former Youth in Care examined the lived experiences of adults who have been in foster care in British Columbia, a group historically underrepresented in policy, leadership, and systems-level decision-making. The study explored the perspectives and experiences of former youth in care 30-45 years old, subject matter experts, and leaders, with particular attention to the knowledge, skills, and resources required for former youth in care to meaningfully influence equitable policy development and leadership practice.

The research examined the primary question: How might we learn from the experiences of former youth in care to influence equitable policies in leadership?

Three subquestions provided additional structure:

1. Current State: What resources and strategies are FYiC currently using to influence equitable policies?

2. Ideal Future: What could empower FYiC interested in leadership to influence equitable policies?

3. Transition and Ideal Future: What wise leadership strategies and resources are FYiC interested in applying to influence equitable policies?

Using a participatory action research approach, the study centered FYiC voices, enabling participants to identify systemic barriers, share leadership insights, and co-develop strategies for empowerment and resilience, including the establishment of the Former Youth in Care Community of Practice.

While there were many strengths of the study, this research also carries certain limitations. A key consideration is potential researcher bias, as the inquiry was conducted by a former youth in care. However, this insider perspective also deepened understanding of lived experience, fostered trust with participants, and enabled more authentic engagement, highlighting some of the challenges and strengths of integrating lived expertise in professional practice and community-based research.

Guided by Beckhard and Harris’s (2009) change and inquiry framework, the study examined how systems can move from a current state to a more equitable future by understanding the experiences, assets, and aspirations of former youth in care (FYiC). This framework emphasizes three core components of sustainable change: clarifying the current reality, envisioning the ideal future, and identifying the transition strategies required to move between them.

Anchored in this structure, the central research question asked: How might we learn from the experiences of former youth in care to influence equitable policies in leadership?

To explore this question in depth, three subquestions provided additional direction:

1. Current State: What are the current resources and strategies FYiC are using to influence equitable policies?

   
   This question examined the existing strengths, knowledge, and informal or formal leadership practices already present within the community. It surfaced what is currently working, what supports people already rely on, and where significant gaps or systemic barriers remain.

2. Ideal Future: What could empower FYiC who are interested in leadership to influence equitable policies?

   
   This question explored participants’ visions of what meaningful leadership participation should look like, what skills, conditions, environments, relationships, and system supports would truly enable them to lead, be heard, and shape policy decisions.

3. Transition and Ideal Future: What wise leadership strategies and resources are FYiC interested in applying to influence equitable policies?

   
   This question focused on the actions, tools, and leadership approaches that would help move from the current state toward the ideal future. These insights highlight both the practical steps and the deeper ways of leading (e.g., relational, community-driven, trauma-informed) that participants view as essential for long-term change.

Together, these inquiries provided a structured pathway for understanding not only what former youth in care experience, but also what is needed to support their leadership trajectories and meaningfully embed lived expertise within policy and system change efforts.

Drawing from interviews, group discussions, and relevant literature, six key findings emerged:

1. Policies, programs, and practices must be timely and adequate to meet the needs of FYiC.

2. Agency and self-governance are essential for FYiC to participate meaningfully in leadership and policy influence.

3. Learning, mentorship, and leadership opportunities are required to support growth and capacity-building.

4. Trauma awareness is critical for effective and ethical leadership.

5. FYiC have diverse learning needs, strengths, and complex challenges that systems must recognize and respond to.

6. Celebrating FYiC stories and achievements is necessary for fostering belonging, pride, and representation.

Seeking answers to the primary inquiry question and subquestions created a valuable opportunity to identify potential solutions and deepen understanding of the wicked problems faced by FYiC and broader society. The research findings and current literature support six key conclusions:

1. Wellbeing considerations of FYiC participants and broader society must be prioritized and addressed.

2. There is a need to balance completing necessary bureaucratic processes with ensuring there is no delay in providing necessary supports.

3. The iceberg model elucidates the social construction of wicked problems; the underlying forces that stimulate growth, change, and development are influenced by mental models of FYiC, leaders, policy and decision-makers, and broader society.

4. Limits to growth impact available resources and strategies to influence policies and are preventing FYiC from being empowered to effect change.

5. The distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives (DSRP) model is a powerful tool in effecting change.

6. A lack of longitudinal research on people in and from foster care creates gaps in knowledge that are key to understanding and protecting people in and from foster care and broader society from a myriad of wicked problems.

Together, these conclusions highlight the need for responsive systems, deeper investment in lived-experience leadership, and sustained research to better address the complexity of challenges facing people in and from foster care.

The recommendations put forward were based on the findings and conclusions detailed in Chapter 4 of the thesis, informed by current research and by insights gathered from FYiC participants, subject matter experts, and the inquiry team during the study. The recommendations are as follows:

1. Implement a plan to involve adult FYiC of all ages in decisions and matters that directly affect them.

2. Create a list of wise and trauma-informed leadership practices, skills, and tools to strengthen decision-making, strategic planning, and risk mitigation.

3. Leverage the talents and experiences of FYiC and celebrate their stories to foster representation, pride, and belonging.

4. Provide resources that empower FYiC to advance their personal and professional goals at any age.

5. To avoid excluding FYiC over age 27, apply Recommendations 1–4 across the lifespan and invest in robust feedback mechanisms, including longitudinal, mixed-methods research, to monitor, evaluate, and support the implementation of policies that reflect FYiC’s diverse needs, goals, and circumstances.

While these strategies are not exhaustive, they offer meaningful guidance for leaders seeking to engage FYiC in developing equitable policies, programs, and outcomes. However, the recommendations are limited by the scope of the study, the size of the participant group, and the inherent constraints of participatory research, and should therefore be adapted thoughtfully to different contexts and populations.