B.C. must help children and youth in care achieve academic success: report
VANCOUVER — More educational support is needed in British Columbia for children in government care so youths who have often suffered trauma in early life have a better chance of graduating high school, says the province’s children’s representative.
Bernard Richard said each school district should get funding to target the learning needs of students living in foster and group homes. He also called on school districts to provide “point people” to advocate for students.
Richard made six recommendations aimed at the Children’s and Education ministries in a report issued Thursday, with specific steps for Indigenous children who he said would benefit from elders and more Aboriginal teachers providing cultural connections in classrooms.
Simple changes by the Children’s Ministry, like allowing foster parents to sign permission slips for field trips, would go a long way to making students feel included instead of ostracized, he said in a conference call with reporters.