Children exist in an ecology of home, school and community, and Olivia’s Fellowship allowed her to explore the best the world has to offer to address issues in each of these contexts.
Alarmingly 50 per cent of children in care are homeless in the first 12 months after they leave care, and thirty per cent of young people in prison have been through this system. What began as a chance conversation sparked hope in Olivia for a way to bring joy and improved outcomes for children in care who have often suffered complex trauma.
Olivia’s research fell into two categories. The first was focused on targeted, practical, tangible, strategies for change that can be directed specifically for children in care in their homes. The second – big visions with new paradigms that are systemic, cultural, impactful.
Olivia investigated government and community investment in children, in particular looking at programs that support expansive, conceptual, and sensory elements for positive change.
Olivia’s research considers how we can disrupt adverse intergenerational patterns, bring joy, and improve quality of life and trajectories.
Because solutions don’t always exist in silos and children in care exist in an ecology of home, school and community, her research explores how we can address issues in each of these areas.
While the acute needs of children in care inspired Olivia’s Fellowship, her findings have broader application. The pandemic amplified ever-increasing numbers of young people presenting with anxiety and depression, lacking self-regulation, emotional literacy and literacy in general. Many of her findings can be applied to the general public for the benefit of all.
Olivia’s Fellowship provided her with inspiration and diverse perspectives, a richness and breadth beyond what she could have hoped for.
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