Living in the ‘real world’: the experiences and support of school-leavers with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

Several follow-up studies have reported the poor post-school outcomes for young people with social emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). This paper reports an in-depth examination of the transition process, to increase understanding of why this group struggle with life after school and what can be done to improve the help given to them. The study on which this paper is based was a qualitative, longitudinal study, focussed on a group of school-leavers with SEBD who were leaving a mainstream school and two special schools (one day, one residential). After collecting life histories and information on their support networks before they left school, a researcher followed them, their parents and the professionals who worked with them (college tutors, Connexions workers, etc) for a year. Their parents and the young people themselves were interviewed to gain multiple perspectives on how they are supported and why they struggled or thrived. Most of the participants struggled in the year after they left school without achieving their potential, but some were effectively supported and thrived. The relationships between the young people and key care and education workers seemed to have the greatest influence on their transitional experiences. However, the workers who developed the most constructive and valued relationships with the participants were not the best trained or qualified. A closer look at the some of these relationships shows the transactional nature of their development and the importance of the role of managers and institutional cultures and structures in supporting or inhibiting relationship development.