Young People Leaving Care

This report shares the findings of a focused piece of research carried out in Scotland by CELCIS and partners at the University of Edinburgh. The aim of the research was to understand care leavers' experiences of digital exclusion before and during the COVID-19 restrictions in Scotland in 2020 and builds on earlier work which explored this issue by looking at the experience and provision across 17 local authority areas in Scotland by surveying those working within local authority services.

This research found that the experience and issues which underpin digital exclusion within the care experienced community had been exacerbated by the pandemic and its subsequent social restrictions. Challenges around ensuring digital access during the pandemic included: a lack of hardware; a lack of access to stable broadband or Wi-Fi; and for some, gaps in digital confidence and literacy.

Approximately 21,000 children were accommodated in residential care in South Africa in 2011/2. Despite this large number, and the state’s substantial financial investment in residential care, there has, until recently, been little research on care-leaving: the transition out of care due to reaching adulthood. Furthermore, much of the research available has not been published in international journals. This article reports on a systematic review of research on residential care-leaving in South Africa, from 2003 to 2016. A thematic analysis of the resulting 40 research outputs maps the scope of findings from South African research, in relation to theory of leaving care, measurement tools developed, young people’s experiences of leaving care, transitional outcomes, processes of leaving care, facilitators of improved outcomes, care-leaving services and policy on leaving care. Critical gaps in the current research opus are identified, with a view to refining future research on young people aging out of care in South Africa.

This research aims to know the current scenario of restaurants in Bangladesh.  This research paper focuses on young people of Bangladesh. A qualitative research method uses in this study. The sample size is 20. To conduct this study, the author conducted an in-depth interview. The findings of this paper are most Bangladeshi people love Bengali food and many people like fast food. However, people are not satisfied with the pricing system of restaurants. They think they provide more money for the quality of food. Other findings are consumers think fast food is not healthy. Besides, Bangladeshi food is healthy. The result finds that if Bangladeshi restaurants provide good food at a reasonable price then it will be better for the people. The author suggests making fusion food with Bengali food that will be healthy and fill up proper nutrition. Also, in Bangladesh, mobile and online restaurants are needed.

Young people leaving care have been the subject of international research in the last decade, whilst in Africa studies are still few.  The ability of young people to transition successfully from institutional care to independent living in society has become a policy concern which includes recommendations to treat institutional care as a last resort or looking for alternatives other than the institution for placement. This is because of the documented poor outcomes of care leavers internationally and in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study explored the factors influencing the transition from care to independence in Harare, Zimbabwe. Utilising qualitative research methods and thematic analysis, the study identified a number of factors that affect young people from the view of social service professionals and residential care workers.  Respondents were purposively selected and data was collected using semi-structured interviews, an online focus group and the use of observation. In Zimbabwe, the social service system has been affected since 2008, by the economic crisis and the effects of poverty and hardship has trickled down to affect the most vulnerable children and young people.  The study found a number of factors which influence young people’s transitions from care in Harare. Among these were the young person’s previous circumstances, the role of the Department of Social Services, the role of the institution and the expectation of instant adulthood. Other contributing factors such as the capabilities of the young person and relationships with caregivers were mentioned by the respondents. The study made recommendations for more successful transitions from institutional care which include; recognising that care leavers are not a homogenous group and the need for improved knowledge of care leaver outcomes and transition processes for residential caregivers.

Key words: care leavers, institution, independence, mainstream society, social services, transitions, residential care, young people.

This study intends to contribute to the national and global discourse on young people leaving residential care and the resiliencies that help them overcome challenges. Debate in South Africa on care-leavers thus far, amongst practitioners and researchers alike, has emphasised a lack of preparation for leaving care as well as inadequate after-care support. Without clear legislation that specifically pertains to youth in transition from care, practice is fragmented and optional at best. This has severe consequences for them, who, even in the developed world, are at risk of poor post-care outcomes. In South Africa, their vulnerability is compounded by the environment to which they must return: widespread poverty and inequality, an overloaded education system, high levels of unemployment particularly among youth, a lack of formal housing, stigma and the largest HIV population in the world. Yet despite the challenges they face, many care-leavers demonstrate tremendous resilience by finding strategies to survive and even thrive.

The aim of this study was to determine which resilience constructs predict better outcomes for care-leavers as they transition out of care over 12 months. Using a longitudinal, mixed methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data was obtained from youth exiting Girls and Boys Town, a residential child and youth care centre. Baseline data was collected at the time of their disengagement and follow-up data was gathered again one year later. The baseline interviews measured 19 different areas of resilience within four overarching categories: relationships factors, in-care factors, environmental factors and personal factors. Those resilience measures were then statistically compared with care-leavers outcomes one year later to see which were most important in facilitating improved outcomes. This has inherent value to child and youth care centres, because they can focus their efforts on developing specific resiliencies while youth are in care, which are known to give them the best chance in life after care.

Three key sets of results were produced, viz. baseline results, outcome results and prediction results which used the baseline data to predict the outcome data. The data revealed the most powerful resilience predictors for care-leavers at disengagement was having positive role models who were supportive and nurturing, the care-leavers own ability to co-operate well with others, and having a high self-esteem. In order to deepen the findings, narrative data was integrated throughout the results, providing more nuanced insight into the stories of the care-leavers.

There is no other known study that uses resilience to predict the outcomes of care-leavers one year after disengagement. This study therefore adds to the resilience discourse by furthering the to-date limited application of resilience theory to this area of child welfare. It generates empirical data on the specific resilience constructs that help care-leavers transition better into independent living. The research also forms part of the first prospective, mixed methods longitudinal study of care-leavers in South Africa. Data from this study deepens the understanding of their journeys within the unique context of the country. It provides insight into their specific vulnerabilities, the protective factors that help and support them, and how many bounce back and have better outcomes than expected. Therefore, this research has implications not only for improving the understanding of care-leaving in South Africa and other developing countries of the majority world, but also for the existing knowledge base on research in developed countries from the minority world.

The vulnerability of young people leaving residential care has been widely noted in the literature, prompting research on the process of transitioning out of care and triggering debates between the roles of agency and structure in youth transitions. Care-leaving research and programmes from the West have tended to give primary attention to structural interventions, centred on the notion of 'corporate parenting'. By contrast, South African research on care-leaving has tended to emphasise the agency of young people in exercising resilience in sub-optimal contexts. This paper analyses findings from recent South African care-leaving research on the contributions of agency (particularly resilience at the micro level) and structure (particularly interventions at the macro level) to the successful transition out of care and into independent living. Evidence confirms the importance of considering both agency and structure, as well as the interaction between them.

Although a future focus is recognized as a contributing factor to resilience, the content of future focus is seldom explored. Care-leavers in South Africa exit the statutory system and enter into adulthood largely unsupported. Their futures are hampered by limited preparation for leaving care, the absence of follow-up services and contextual factors such as high unemployment rates. Having a well-developed future focus may contribute to better outcomes for care-leavers. Drawing on data from a small qualitative study carried out in four child and youth care centres in a town in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, this article argues that possible selves methods provide a useful tool with which to unpack the content of future focus, and in doing so identify contributors to resilience. Study findings reveal a reciprocal interaction between possible selves and resilience: resilience enablers help to generate compelling possible selves, while possible selves lead to activities that promote resilience.

This report and recommendations have been developed to improve the housing journey of care leavers in Scotland, and prevent homelessness for people with experience of care. This report is the result of work undertaken by a multi-agency partnership between May and September 2019, including assessment of the problem, ambition, activity, partnerships and implementation process required for improvement. The document sets out sensible, evidence backed next steps to:
• Support the full implementation of the policy and legislative frameworks which mean corporate parents can and do prevent care leavers experiencing homelessness, at the point of leaving care and later.
• Ensure that if they do experience homelessness, care leavers can rapidly access support which is effectively tailored to their specific needs and circumstances from their corporate parents, recognising that their care experience may make them uniquely vulnerable in particular ways, at the point of leaving care and later.
• Support practice and culture shifts, including in partnership working and shared responsibility between all corporate parents, to help ensure young people are prepared for and supported through the transition into adulthood, and beyond, once they have moved into their own accommodation

The report

One of the important life transitions humans undergo is the transition from adolescence to young adulthood, called youth transitions. One group of young people for whom this is a particularly difficult transition is those transitioning out of the child welfare system towards independent living. These youth experience a range of vulnerabilities that tend to result in poor outcomes compared with youth who grew up at home. However, not all care-leavers experience poor outcomes, raising the question of what facilitates better outcomes among some care-leavers. This is the classic resilience question and is the focus of my research over the past several years.

Resilience theory seeks to understand the multilevel processes that systems engage in to obtain better-than-expected outcomes in the face or wake of adversity. Resilience processes or enablers are often categorized as either personal or environmental, but drawing on the social work notion of person-in-environment, I argue that the interactions between people and people, and between people and systems, are the resilience-enabling mechanisms that are the foundation of the resilience and that contribute to resilient outcomes.

In this lecture, I mobilise much of my research opus, particularly my work over the past several years on leaving care, together with my students and research associates, to provide empirical support to the construct of interactional resilience, and to showing the contribution that interactional resilience makes to improved care-leaving outcomes. Based on this platform, I propose an interactional resilience model for South African care-leavers, that I suggest may be applicable to all youth transitions. In light of this, I make recommendations for social service delivery and for further research and theory building on interactional resilience.

This article describes the 1-year outcomes of youth transitioning out of a residential care facility in South Africa. Those outcomes are compared with both national data on youth in the general population and care leavers from the United Kingdom. Analysis of the outcomes of 52 care leavers showed that they had fairly secure accommodation, low levels of homelessness, and low levels of criminal involvement and substance abuse. However, care leavers were particularly vulnerable in their educational attainment and employment outcomes and ran the risk of being not in employment, education or training. This has economic and psychological consequences for youth, who are then forced to rely on others for their livelihood and it can increase their feelings of depression, isolation, and despondency. Results from this study provide insight into the challenges and needs of young people transitioning out of residential care, which provides guidance on what to prioritize for practice. This research has implications not only for improving the understanding of care leaving in South Africa and Africa, but also for the existing knowledge based on research internationally.

Policy as Social Ecological Resilience Scaffolding for Leaving Care: A Case Study of South Africa argues that social policy on leaving care is a critical resilience process for promoting emerging adults' successful transition out of care. Care-leaving literature has given limited attention to the wider policy contexts in which care-leavers make this transition. This chapter argues for a better understanding of how these contexts can bolster the social ecology of care-leaving by providing a policy scaffolding to the support and services required by care-leavers. South Africa is used to illustrate the argument, capitalising on the heightened political sensibilities of a society still grappling with the legacy of apartheid and committed to developmental social welfare as a strategic policy direction. The chapter concludes that the South African case study not only highlights the need to address the policy context of youth transitioning from out-of-home care, but also demonstrates the benefits of cross-national reflection on policy and practice development and implementation.

Research on young people transitioning out of the child care system and into young adulthood is inevitably reductionist, in that it is unable to take into account the many complex forces that play a role in the development of a child from birth, into and through the care system and on to adulthood. Consequently, studies on the outcomes of care-leaves need to be interpreted with care and thought. This paper serves to illustrate these challenges in research and the various ways that research results can be interpreted, by drawing on data from a study being conducted in a residential care programme in South Africa. Demographic, pre-care and in-care variables of a sample of care-leavers are compared with a set of independent living outcome variables a year after aging out of care. Unanticipated results are contrasted with those that were anticipated, and multiple interpretations of the same results are provided. Through this, the author calls for judicious and humble use of research results when making judgements about the outcomes of care-leavers and the effectiveness of child welfare interventions.

Published by SOS Villages International and CELCIS, this Prepare for Leaving Care Practice Guidance is informed by the UNCRC and based on the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Importantly, the four principles underpinning the content of the Practice Guidance – building sustained relationships with the care leaver based on care and respect, high levels of participation, promoting and protection of all human rights of children and young people, and the need for an inter-sectoral approach - have driven this project.The Prepare for Leaving Care Practice Guidance has therefore been developed to inform and equip all those with a role to support young people moving from care to adulthood and independence, as well as to foster a youth centred approach to this important role. The Practice Guidance is also relevant for decision-makers and policy-makers, as well as those advocating for change. We hope this Practice Guidance contributes in a significant way to developing the enabling contexts to achieve the real and lasting changes that are clearly required and to which care leavers have an absolute right

" The Journey of Orphan and Destitute Youth in Aftercare Programme in Maharashtra " Aftercare is defined as provision of care for all children in alternative care, after they reached at age of 18 years and discharged from children/special home. Young adults transitioning from aftercare are universally a vulnerable group whose needs have been neglected not only by the biological parents and or extended families but also by the state. Every year, thousands of young people leaves their 'residential child care homes' as they age out of alternative care. The process has received very little attention. With the result that youths are often forgotten once they have left care. Alternative care often fails in India to prepare young adults for independent life by neglecting to hone the practical skills required for life. Thus, sadly many ageing out youth soon fall at risks. Finding themselves living on the streets or in very poor conditions in temporary shelters, where they may be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Despite of progressive, established legislative framework (Juvenile Justice Act) for Aftercare programs still historically the state has provided less attention to Aftercare programme in India. After Care programs require significant investment on the part of the Government of India. Investing in disadvantaged, orphaned youth to ensure that the best chance of succeeding as independent citizens of India is a crucial investment, both ethically and economically (Modi, Kiran, M Nayar-Akhtar, 2016). The JJA (2015) has a provision for Aftercare Programme and Integrated Child Protection Scheme also has a provision for financial commitment to run After care programme but there is no any specific provision or direction for implementation of aftercare programme. However, lack of robust administrative statistical system for the data collection on the implementation of protection services such as juvenile justice institutions and children homes. More often, boys leaving the RCCIs at the age of 18 are not fully equipped to face the confusing and outside world. By all counts, eighteen is a crucial period in the lives of these children and at this age they must learn to fend for themselves, look after themselves and adapt themselves to new life-situations, while all the time facing a bleak and uncertain tomorrow. Keep in in mind the study will explore the present aftercare programme for Orphan and Destitute youth specially for boys in Maharashtra. Having this aim the study will be exploring to understand about the experiences and needs of boys in and outside the aftercare programme and the challenges faced by the staff while implementing Aftercare programme. The study will have mixed method approach in research design. To understand the experiences of young adult in and outside of the aftercare programme and it will be also exploring the challenges faced by the staff in aftercare programme in the Maharashtra. The proposed study expects to develop a framework for aftercare programme for orphan and Destitute youth that propose an effective aftercare programme across the state.

The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is challenging for most youth internationally, and is most clearly seen in the disproportionately high rates of youth unemployment. For young people transitioning out of care (particularly residential care, but also foster care), this transition is especially challenging, due to the breakdown of existing family support networks. While formal alternative care may seem at odds with indigenous care systems in Africa, the pathways out of care among African young people do appear to be different to those in the Global North. Care-leavers in Africa rely to a far greater extent on extended family and other informal networks in securing accommodation, employment and belonging, while those in the Global North tend to rely more strongly on the State. This paper elucidates African pathways out of care, in contradistinction to those of the Global North, drawing on research conducted primarily in South Africa, but also in Zimbabwe, Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya. It highlights the role that social welfare services can play in supporting these pathways, particularly in light of development social welfare theory. In so doing, the findings begin to construct a decolonised approach to care-leaving (and youth transitions more generally) in Africa.

This article examines the aftercare experiences of young people who have recently left a residential care institution in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopted a phenomenological qualitative research design with 20 care leavers, and data collected were analyzed using Attride-Stirling's thematic networks analytical tool. The young care leavers' aftercare experiences were marked by many challenges with employment, finances, living and surviving alone, accommodation, and social integration. These challenges were due to inadequate preparation for independent living, as well as their orphan and care backgrounds. However, care leavers were filled with resilient optimism, in terms of personal and social factors. Personal factors related to hope of a brighter future, persistence, fear of failing, and engagement in menial jobs and savings, while social factors included formal and informal support systems care leavers mobilized for improved transitional outcomes. Recommendations for policy, research, and practice are made in light of these findings.

Research on young people transitioning out of care in South Africa is still in its infancy, and most research to date is descriptive and generic. The majority of looked after children in South Africa (over half a million, out of 18.5 million children in the population) are in formal foster care, mostly kinship care, due primarily to being orphaned. A smaller number (approximately 21,000) are placed in residential care, often due to behavioural or family problems. Legislation requires young people to exit care at the end of the year of their 18th birthday, though application can (but seldom is) made for extension up to 21 years, if they are studying. There is very little legislative or policy support, and even less funding  for aftercare services, resulting in most residential care-leavers having to become ‘instant adults’ during their 18th year.

This paper focuses on one specific aspect of care-leaving in South Africa, viz. care-leavers’ engagement in criminal activities. Data are drawn from a longitudinal mixed-methods study of care-leavers, now in its sixth year, run jointly by the University of Johannesburg and Girls and Boys Town South Africa. Young people choose to enrol shortly before they leave care, at which time history is collected from their social worker, they participate in a readiness interview and complete a resilience assessment. Every year thereafter they are approached to participate in an unstructured narrative interview and complete a structured assessment of care-leaving outcomes.

For this paper, quantitative and qualitative data concerning the outcome of criminal activity are utilised. 61 individuals, who had been out of care from one to five years, participated in the study. Data from all available post-care interviews were utilised.

Results indicate that about one third of the participants were involved in criminal activity at some point since leaving care. About one third of those engaged in criminal activities who had two or more interviews reported criminal activity in only one of their interviews. The data suggest three groups of care-leavers: about three quarters do not engage in criminal activity, just under half a quarter report low-severity crime just once and about one fifth report higher-severity crime over multiple interviews. Quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that criminal activity may be associated with drug abuse and/or being NEET (not in employment, education or training). Qualitative narratives of several participants are used to illustrate the findings.

Based on the findings, greater investment in after-care services to South African care-leavers is recommended, especially during the first year out of care, with a particular focus on substance abuse rehabilitation, diversion from criminal activity and the facilitation of engagement in education, training and/or employment.

Young people who leave home often face many challenges as they try to establish themselves in early adult life. Youth leaving residential care face the added pressures of needing to reintegrate back into their families or into independent living. This transition often takes place abruptly, with less support and at a younger age than their peers. For this reason, along with their often tumultuous pasts, international research has well documented the poor outcomes of care-leavers, making them among the most vulnerable and marginalized of all youth. Research shows that the first year out of care is often thought of as one of the hardest, as this is when care-leavers have to establish themselves in the world and figure out strategies to live independently.

This presentation will discuss the one-year outcomes of youth transitioning out of Girls and Boys Town, in the first longitudinal study of care-leavers in Africa. Findings are compared to local data from youth in a similar age category in the broader South African population, as well as the outcomes of care-leavers in other countries, particularly from the Global North. The results highlight that GBT care-leavers are doing better than expected in some areas. However, they also draw attention to the high risk they face of becoming Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET), which can result in severe economic and psychological consequences. These findings add to the indigenous knowledge about South African care-leavers, thereby offering perspectives on improving practice in this field in the Global South.

Once youth leave institutional care, they face tremendous vulnerabilities. As such, they are susceptible to a range of poor outcomes as they navigate the treacherous journey of establishing themselves as young adults. In order to learn more about these young people after care, Girls and Boys Town (GBT) has been conducting a longitudinal study on care-leavers for the past five years. This study, Growth Beyond the Town, collects data about the youth as they disengage and then follows-up annually with the youth to hear their stories and measure their outcomes. We are particularly interested in gathering quantitative data regarding accommodation, employment, education, finances, substance abuse, crime, relationships, and health and well-being. We also capture the care-leavers experiences and opinions since leaving care, including the challenges and successes they face on their journeys. In gathering these forms of data we try to understand what factors in care facilitate positive adjustment, so that we can improve their chances of success in later life.

As the project is in its fifth year, we are now in a better position to guide and offer recommendations for practice. In consultation with staff at GBT, we are using our data to make suggestions regarding 'minimum standards' for GBT care-leavers when they disengage, which we believe may improve the likelihood they will have smoother transitions and increased success after care. This presentation will offer two case studies that document the youth’s journeys since leaving GBT and thereafter, make recommendations for certain minimum criteria that could be in place prior to disengagement. While these suggestions are applicable for the staff and youth at GBT, they may offer some insight to other CYCCs which could improve the chances of success for their youth after they leave care.

The study arose from a Youth Music funded project for soundLINCS to support social interactions of young parents in challenging circumstances and their babies and toddlers, through musical activities.
It was initially focused on young parents leaving care and developed into a programme working with those in challenging circumstances. soundLINCS liaised with relevant organisations to facilitate musical activities in the young parents’ homes and later at venues for group meetings. A designated soundLINCS Music Facilitator organised the musical activities delivered, including reference to ideas and initiatives from the young parents involved. The group meetings began at the soundLINCS office base, later accessing a purpose-built facility (The Foyer) for the second stage of the programme. Findings showed that the support through music was highly beneficial, giving participants greater confidence and resilience to develop their next steps both for themselves and their children, as well as promoting an enjoyment of musical activities.
It was planned to develop the initiative further through another programme of meetings, accessing a safe and secure outdoor play area. The report begins with a consideration of the context of the work and an overview from literary sources, of possible challenges for young parents.