Studying runaways and street youth in Canada

by Augustine Brannigan

"This research was undertaken by the Canadian Interdepartmental Working Group on Youth at Risk to examine: the extent of the runaway and street-youth problem in Canada, the demographic characteristics of young people who make up the runaway and street-youth population, the antecedents to running away, the consequences of running away and participating in street life, and the nature of the services directed at runaways and street-youth - including educational, health, criminal justice, and social services. The report contains: an outline of conceptual and methodological issues; a literature review, including Federal initiatives for youth at risk; definitional problems; youthful homelessness; school leavers; youth gangs; runaways and health issues; specific vulnerable sectors; and institutional and community responses. In designing a pilot study, the authors considered 11 studies, assessing the research design strategies used in each. The methodological strategy adopted aimed to estimate