WEBVTT

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I have a friend who is living with a foster family. Are they going to be okay?

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In Canada, between 4% and 7% of children will live in a foster

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home at some point in their childhood.

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And our research shows their healthcare experiences look very different from other

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children.

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What we haven't had until now is national data that helps us understand

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whether children in foster homes are experiencing gaps or inequities in

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healthcare, and whether care systems may be falling short.

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We followed more than 30,000 children living in foster homes across

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Canada and compared their hospitalizations with children who had never

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been in a foster home.

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We looked at three key things: how often children needed to visit

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the hospital, what ages were most affected, and the most common

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reasons for hospital admissions.

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Children with foster home experience were hospitalized about twice as often as

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children without, and several clear patterns stood out.

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Mental and behavioral health conditions were the leading reason for

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hospitalization. Hospitalization rates increased sharply

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during adolescence and early adulthood.

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And mental and reproductive health were the most common reasons for youth

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in foster homes to visit the hospital, and these healthcare needs are not

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evenly distributed. A relatively small group of children

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with a history of foster care accounted for nearly half of all

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hospitalizations within the foster care population we studied.

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This tells us that while many children may never need hospital care,

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those who do often have complex, ongoing healthcare needs

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that lead to repeated visits.

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The data also reveals a major inequity.

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Indigenous children, who represent about 6% of Canada's child

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population,

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made up almost half of all children living in foster homes,

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putting them at a disproportionately higher risk.

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Repeated hospitalizations are often a sign that care isn't reaching children

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early enough or in a coordinated way.

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When early supports are missing, health needs can escalate, especially

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during adolescence, leading to more frequent and more serious hospital

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care.

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This is where wraparound care becomes essential, making sure medical care,

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mental health support, and social services work together.

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This includes hospitals providing trauma-informed inpatient care,

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ensuring strong follow-up after a visit, and connecting children to

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ongoing community-based and culturally safe supports,

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so care continues beyond the hospital.

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Research like this helps identify where systems can intervene

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earlier, supporting children during critical stages of development

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so they can live their healthiest life.