The Process of Transition from Public Care to Independent Living: A Resilience-Based Approach (original) (raw)
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Care leavers' challenges in transition to independent living
Children and Youth Services Review, 2014
The goal of this paper is to present care leavers' challenges in the transition to independent living in Israel. Studies that examined the status of care leavers in the years after the transition to independent living have enhanced the understanding of these young people's vulnerability. However, few studies have examined the care leavers' transition experience shortly after leaving residential care from their own point of view. About one year after leaving residential placements, 236 leavers answered quantitative and qualitative questioners regarding their positive and negative experiences in the transition from residential living and the extent of support they received during that period. The study findings show that for most of the young people the transition to independent living was not only difficult but also included positive experiences. Even though most of the young people indicated the presence of a source of support during that period, one third of the young adults had no support at all or only some of the time. One of the study's conclusions is that care leavers cope simultaneously both with their separation from their old setting and with the new setting to which they have to adjust. At the same time some of them are dealing with additional difficulties, including economic shortage, unstable relationships with their parents and social isolation. The discussion raises the need for pre-evaluation and planning to accommodate the needs that arise from the transition, with differential treatment of the more vulnerable subgroups of young adults, in order to develop solutions to mitigate the transition for the young adults and help them adjust gradually to independent living.
Children and Youth Services Review, 2018
Emerging adulthood is considered a risky and vulnerable period for young people leaving substitute care but a window of opportunity for the development of resilience and positive change. This study explores the challenges and resources in transition to adulthood from the point of view of 50 care leavers and caseworkers in Israel. The findings revealed several shared perspectives of the two group regarding the challenges and assets during this period including: economic hardship and limited support by their families as a struggle, and supporting professional relationships as an asset. While caseworkers focused on the care leavers' low awareness and realization of their rights as a challenge, care leavers emphasized their weak social ties and loneliness as their main challenge. In addition, self-reliance was described as a resource by the care leavers but not by the caseworkers. The study's findings emphasized the importance of belongings, companionship and emotional support care leavers need, and the meaningful role of professional relationships in the transition to adulthood. One of the practical conclusion was helping the care leaves to develop interdependence and relational connections, and at the same time encouraging the caseworkers to see the care leavers' self-reliance as a strength.
care leavers's challanges in transition to independent living
The goal of this paper is to present care leavers' challenges in the transition to independent living in Israel. Studies that examined the status of care leavers in the years after the transition to independent living have enhanced the understanding of these young people's vulnerability. However, few studies have examined the care leavers' transition experience shortly after leaving residential care from their own point of view. About one year after leaving residential placements, 236 leavers answered quantitative and qualitative questioners regarding their positive and negative experiences in the transition from residential living and the extent of support they received during that period. The study findings show that for most of the young people the transition to independent living was not only difficult but also included positive experiences. Even though most of the young people indicated the presence of a source of support during that period, one third of the young adults had no support at all or only some of the time. One of the study's conclusions is that care leavers cope simultaneously both with their separation from their old setting and with the new setting to which they have to adjust. At the same time some of them are dealing with additional difficulties, including economic shortage, unstable relationships with their parents and social isolation. The discussion raises the need for pre-evaluation and planning to accommodate the needs that arise from the transition, with differential treatment of the more vulnerable subgroups of young adults, in order to develop solutions to mitigate the transition for the young adults and help them adjust gradually to independent living.
“So what am I?” — Multiple perspectives on young people's experience of leaving care
Children and Youth Services Review, 2014
This pilot study explores young people's experience of leaving care in the United Kingdom. It draws on qualitative data obtained from two focus groups, one with young people and another with professionals, as well as ethnographical and autoethnographical data from the researcher. The data were subject to separate thematic analyses and key themes identified. In bringing together these analyses, a picture emerged of young people trying to make a transition and develop a new identity, whilst in the midst of an unstable environment which often served to undermine their journey. Key implications for policy, practice and future research are discussed, and suggest a need to review and potentially revise some of the core structures which underpin the provision of support to those in the care system.
Work and resilience: Care leavers' experiences of navigating towards employment and independence
Child & Family Social Work, 2021
Poor education and employment outcomes have long been associated with care experienced young people transitioning into independence, even after adjusting for prior disadvantage. In the United Kingdom, such young people are generally referred to as care leavers. Policies that aim to reduce the gap between care leavers and non-care experienced young people's success transitioning to employment and independence have had limited success. This paper draws on a qualitative methodology that utilized theories of resilience, to glean a range of perspectives from both care leavers and their employers. All the participants were engaged in a U.K. local authority's initiative to support care leavers into employment. Drawing on resilience theory, resilience was found to be located in a complex interaction between a resilience enabling environment and, crucially, emotionally supportive networks. Uniquely, we argue that emotional support, drawn from such networks, is the key factor that fac...
2017
The capacity for a young adult to develop and overcome obstacles in life underpins the concept of resilience building (Gilligan, 1997). A key role of the social care worker is to ensure that young adults growing up in the care system are afforded the best possible outcomes. This includes social care workers helping young people build their resilience in preparation for the transition into independent living and aftercare. The research reported here examines the experiences and perspectives of two residential social care workers regarding the promotion of resilience amongst young people transitioning from residential care to independent living. From analysis of the data collected, three themes were identified: the importance of a secure base, maintaining consistent and long-term relationships and challenges faced by social care workers in building the resilience of care leavers. Findings concur with previous research, which identified the importance of young people having a secure base in their lives as well as longterm relationships as a source of support to aid them in their transition from care to independence. This research in exploring some of the challenges of helping build the resilience of care leavers highlights the possible value of allowing young people to engage in positive risk taking opportunities in order to build important life skills for independent living.
The capacity for a young adult to develop and overcome obstacles in life underpins the concept of resilience building (Gilligan, 1997). A key role of the social care worker is to ensure that young adults growing up in the care system are afforded the best possible outcomes. This includes social care workers helping young people build their resilience in preparation for the transition into independent living and aftercare. The research reported here examines the experiences and perspectives of two residential social care workers regarding the promotion of resilience amongst young people transitioning from residential care to independent living. From analysis of the data collected, three themes were identified: the importance of a secure base, maintaining consistent and long-term relationships and challenges faced by social care workers in building the resilience of care leavers. Findings concur with previous research, which identified the importance of young people having a secure base in their lives as well as long-term relationships as a source of support to aid them in their transition from care to independence. This research in exploring some of the challenges of helping build the resilience of care leavers highlights the possible value of allowing young people to engage in positive risk taking opportunities in order to build important life skills for independent living
Nordic Social Work Research, 2018
This qualitative longitudinal study of 20 young Swedish care leavers investigates their subjective experience of and strategies for handling adversities when being in the process of leaving out-of-home care. The empirical data is based on two sets of interviews, the first conducted at time 1 (T1) when they were still in care but the moving out process had begun, the second (T2) 6-10 months later when the vast majority had left care. The thematic analysis based on resilience theory showed that the majority of the informants over time developed process-oriented strategies, which in our categorization emanated either from the inner world of the informants (e.g. through re-framing of experiences and an emerging self-reliance) or from their outer contextual world (e.g. through a restructuring of the social network). The results are discussed from a resilience theoretical perspective in which the informants' strategies are illustrated by the conceptual pair of 'navigation' and 'negotiation' , used to make sense of their inner and outer world-oriented strategies.
Children and Youth Services Review, 2011
Young people who have been in care show relatively poor outcomes in comparison to young people who have not been in care, and run a high risk of social exclusion. Therefore, the transition to adulthood of young people leaving care is an important topic for research. However, there is still little knowledge about the different research approaches and research instruments that are being used in studying this topic. The aim of the present study is to review the approaches and instruments that are used in empirical studies that focus on young care leavers' transitions to adulthood. The results show that the studies apply a diversity of topics and instruments, but that there is also considerable overlap. To make better comparisons on the transition from out-of-home care to adulthood between different countries, a common research framework and one or more research instruments should be developed that can assess this transition and the situation of young care leavers in diverse social contexts.
Social Work & Policy Studies: Social Justice, Practice and Theory, 2020
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care are globally regarded as a vulnerable group due to traumatic experiences pre-care and within the out-of-home care system, stigmatisation by the wider community, and limited and ineffective support beyond 18 years of age. Yet, many care leavers overcome this adversity to achieve positive life outcomes post-care. This exploratory qualitative study examines the views of a small group of care leavers and foster carers within Victoria on the key factors that influenced positive transition outcomes. Particular attention is drawn to the importance of ongoing support from a close relationship with a trusted adult, a sense of belonging within a placement or extended family or community, the value of advocacy by care leavers and their key support persons, and a connected autonomy beyond 18 years which allowed care leavers to assert their independence without losing their "safety net" of support. These findings are highly relevant to policy makers given the recent introduction of extended care until 21 years for care leavers in Victoria.