The Transition to Adulthood of Dual-System Youth in Quebec: A Focus on High School Graduation and Housing Situation

Abstract

This article examines two outcomes of the transition to adulthood for youth who are involved with both the child protection and juvenile justice systems, known as dual-system youth. Data from a longitudinal study conducted in Quebec between 2017 and 2021 with 1136 youth in care suggest that dual-system youth are less likely to graduate from high school and more likely to experience housing instability and homelessness than are youth who have been in child protection alone. The article demonstrates that the differences between the two groups are far from anecdotal. The potential interactions of these results with the youth’s interpersonal support network are also examined. Finally, this article paints a bleaker picture of the situations dual-system youth experience during the transition to adulthood. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on the outcomes of the transition to adulthood to design socio-legal actions that can better prepare dual-system youth for this stage of their lives.