Issue 17 – Education and Care

This 17th issue of Foster examines the educational challenges faced by children in care, combining first-hand accounts from young care-leavers with academic research.

Personal testimonies from Fanie Hranda, Colleen Kyan, and ‘Mercy’ are complemented by doctoral researcher Tara Ćirić’s participatory study, all highlighting the vital role of relational practice in supporting young people through Ireland’s education system.

Through her umbrella review of international research, Dr Marta Garcia-Molsosa discovers that while educational interventions can be effective, research remains too narrowly focused on academic attainment and calls for a broader, more relational evidence base.

Maria O’Connell describes how Saint Finian’s National School in Finglas became a trauma-informed, nurturing community, with a Golden Labrador named Terry playing an important therapeutic role for staff and students alike. Dr Merike Darmody’s qualitative study explores the uniquely difficult ‘double transition’ care-experienced young people face when they simultaneously leave the care system and move into post-school education or independent living.

Together, the articles form a baseline call to action for education policymakers, demonstrating how lived experience and academic research can support and facilitate us all to better understand our practice.