Leaving Care Services Research Articles

Leaving care services

Evidence from Ofsted shows support to help care leavers transition to independence is still lacking. The inspectorate tells Jo Stephenson of its plans to sharpen councils' focus on improving provision

Better support for care leavers

Ed Nixon explains how a charity is helping local authorities commission better leaving care services

Following the Death of Ms A: A Local Authority Response to Transitional Safeguarding

This article discusses work done over several years in the London Borough of Havering (LBH) to develop and strengthen services for young people transitioning from Children’s Services to adulthood, care-experienced young people in particular. The impetus for this development work was a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) published in 2017 concerning a care-experienced young adult, Ms A, who was receiving Leaving Care services at the time of her death at the age of 20. Following a successful funding bid to the Department for Education, LBH made significant investment in transitions services, co-producing these with young adults themselves in conjunction with a work-support mental health charity MAC-UK. This work resulted in the creation of: The Cocoon, a new ‘one-stop shop’ onsite multi-agency service provision; and the Transitions Panel, a new multi-agency planning forum. This article describes the development of The Cocoon and the Transitions Panel, and summarises the impact of these developments.

Introducing psychodrama into programmes preparing young people transitioning from residential care

This study, published in the Zeitschrift fur Psychodrama und Soziometrie, aimed at exploring the benefits of an empowerment-oriented psychodrama group programme for young people in care, which was introduced to improve their preparation process for their transition into adulthood. The research design of the current study, which is part of broader action research project that began in 2005, is qualitative and uses as its research methodology Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The sample consisted of 6 young women from one residential centre and one psychodramatist. Data were collected using phenomenological interviews with the young people and the psychodramatist and the psychodramatist’s report. The interpretative phenomenological analysis led to a matrix of four themes: “beginnings”, “what helped me most …”, “I found it hardest …”, “Myself before, myself now”. Results showed that, in the perception of young people, the main benefits of participating in the programme were: developing personal strengths (talking about one’s life, accepting one’s personal history, courage, self-esteem, self-expression) and interpersonal strengths (trust, openness, listening, acceptance of others, being less judgmental, collaboration skill). The most helpful techniques were role play, role reversal, encounter, mirror and warm-ups. A key result was the changing of roles within the safety of the psychodrama group context; from playing the superior, being aggressive, or inhibited as protective and coping mechanisms, to acting out the role of empathic listener, being supportive and generous. The results hints that these achievements are part of the prescriptive roles of restoration: personal strengths, as part of one’s identity; and interpersonal strengths for the young people, that have been traumatized as children, helping them recapture a sense of interpersonal trust. The implications for leaving care services and professionals are discussed.

A comparison of state support for young people leaving care in Norway and Sweden: Differences within comparable welfare systems

AbstractThe aim of this article is to account for and discuss support to young care leavers within the comparable welfare regimes of Norway and Sweden and to explore key differences between these 2 countries. This model implies that children and young people are included and entitled to support through being family members, not as independent actors in their own right. This makes young care leaver's transition from care to adulthood problematic—as they often do not have access to family support, they may be positioned in a vacuum where they are clients neither entitled to support from the child welfare system nor supported by their families of origin. In Norway, legislators and policymakers have agreed that care leavers need particular attention and targeted support, whereas in Sweden, there has been no such agreement. However, the Norwegian system of giving leaving care services is not strong enough to provide transition support to all care leavers, even if the legislation gives stronger protection than in Sweden. The article discusses the need for targeted measures of support for a successful care‐leaving process.

INSPECTIONS: Leaving care services

The standard of support for care leavers is cause for concern for Ofsted, with high proportions of young people struggling in the transition to independent living after leaving council care

Leaving Care and at Risk of Homelessness: The Lift Project

The paper reflects on developments in leaving care policy and practice in Western Australia (WA) and nationally from the mid-1990s. The review of national and some international literature suggests that current Australian policy and practice shows a ‘systems stuckness’ that requires a more potent form of annual auditing and reporting of jurisdictional leaving care outcomes. The review of mostly Australian publications focusing on leaving care and the risk of homelessness includes reflections on recent developments in leaving care services in England, which recognise and restore relationship-based services for care leavers. Finally, the history, vision and initial impact of the Living Independently for the First Time (LIFT) Project, a case study of learning by doing, is outlined. The authors and their colleagues from the Department for Child Protection and Family Support (Midland District), Swan Emergency Accommodation (now known as Indigo Junction) and the Housing Authority of WA have collaborated to design and develop the LIFT Project. This initially unfunded action-research strategy involves inter-agency policy and practice designed to prevent homelessness of vulnerable care leavers.

Young People with Complex Needs Leaving Out-of-Home Care: Service Issues and the Need to Enhance Practice and Policy

Leaving statutory out-of-home care (OOHC) is a challenging time for many young people; however, certain groups have greater difficulty transitioning to independence. This includes young people with multiple and complex needs, such as those suffering from mental health problems and disabilities, as well as young people with borderline conditions or who disengage from services. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the service issues pertaining to these vulnerable groups in South Australia, as well as to identify ways that policy and practice can be enhanced to better facilitate service engagement. Twenty-nine individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with people working in organisations who have knowledge of, or contact with, young people leaving care (N = 66). Thematic analysis was used to organise responses according to two overarching themes: (1) Issues with current leaving care services and preparation, and (2) Enhancing policy and practice. The principal challenges related to difficulties in matching the structure of formal services to a population with highly unstructured living arrangements, a history of problematic engagement with the care system, and difficulties arising due to service ineligibility issues. Potential improvements to the current system and program delivery are discussed.

Councils identify elements of ‘gold standard’ in leaving care services

The New Belongings programme has seen councils devise improvements for young people leaving care, with senior buy-in and care leaver involvement critical to making positive changes as they make the move to independent living

From Superintendence to Transition and Self-determination. Historic View on Policies and Practice towards Norwegian Care-leavers

Leaving care services have been a feature of Norwegian child welfare legislation for more than a 100 years. This article traces the legislation and presents a discussion of these services. Three distinct periods can be identified, each with a dominant debate and policy orientation: the State’s need for control over the young people; the modern welfare state’s view that each child should be provided with services designed in the child’s best interest; and the more recent pressure for the promotion of the young people’s legal rights. Thus, ‘care versus control’ is a central theme. The article concludes by proposing both more international research, and locally developed practice.

Good idea, bad prerequisite, zero result – the meaning of context in implementing aftercare for young people in secure unit care

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to report results from a quasi-experimental study of outcomes of a leaving care project for youth placed in secure unit care and second, based on the (zero) results, to analyse and discuss the interplay between organisational boundaries, social work and the target group when implementing a project such as the one studied.Design/methodology/approach– The outcome study had a quasi-experimental design. The young people in the leaving care programme were compared with a matched reference group who did not get the special leaving care services. Data were collected (structured Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis-interviews) when the young people entered secure units and on follow-up (registered crime and re-entry into care).Findings– The outcome study showed that the leaving care project had no effect on the young people's situation at follow-up regarding re-offending and re-entry into secure unit care. This is understood and discussed in relation to the poor implementation of the leaving care project along with an inbuilt conflict between state and local municipality that overshadowed the good intentions of the project.Research limitations/implications– The effect study has a quasi-experimental design, and hence differences between the project group and the comparison group at T1 cannot be fully precluded, although nothing is pointing in such a direction. The unclear content of the intervention makes it difficult to decode how the variation in the support given to the young people eventually impacted the results. The zero-results apply to group level, but that may not be valid for each and every one in the project.Practical implications– According to earlier research, a key person following young persons through different phases of the care trajectory may be of importance. Learning from the CoC project, one can conclude that such a key person should preferably take the role of advocate for the young person, and not be an administrator mainly concerned with coordinating other professionals. Further, when planning and financing is split between organisations, that split hinders efforts to actually mobilise support for young people leaving secure unit care.Originality/value– Few leaving care services are designed for youth with severe behavioural problems and hence, the research is scarce. This study contributes with important knowledge about leaving care interventions for the target group.

What do Young People Need When They Leave Care? Views of Care-leavers and Aftercare Workers in North Dublin

EPIC is an independent voluntary organisation in the Republic of Ireland that advocates for the rights of children in care and young people who have care experience. One aspect of EPIC's work is the Aftercare Advocacy and Support Service, which provides confidential advice and support to young people who are preparing to leave care, those in aftercare and those who have left the care system. This paper reports on research undertaken in North Dublin with care-leavers and aftercare workers, using a survey and interviews to collect both quantitative and qualitative data, to inform EPIC's work in this area. The paper presents findings from the research along with other relevant literature and considers the implications for developing leaving-care services in the Republic of Ireland. The importance of adequate planning and access to both practical and emotional support to facilitate a gradual transition from care and the need to fully involve young people in the leaving-care process are emphasised.

Pathways Into Youth Justice: Strengthening Policy and Program Supports for Young People in the Youth Justice System Who Are Transitioning From Out-of-Home Care

Local and international research suggests an overrepresentation of young people leaving state out-of-home care in the youth justice system. A range of factors appear to contribute to this correlation including child abuse and neglect, placement instability, experiences of residential care, and unsupported transitions from care. This article presents the findings of a Victorian pilot study conducted in partnership with Whitelion, a not-for-profit organisation specifically offering support to ‘young people involved with or at risk of involvement with the youth justice and/or out-of-home care and leaving care services’ (Whitelion, 2012), to examine the interrelationship between the child protection and youth justice systems, and particularly to explore the processes that take place when young people involved in the youth justice system leave state care. A series of interviews and focus groups with Whitelion workers were used to explore whether leaving care plans and policies address and minimise involvement with youth justice; the role, if any, of formal consultations by child protection services with youth justice regarding this group of care leavers; and the ongoing role of youth justice postcare, particularly when young people are in custody at the time of their exit from care. Some significant implications for policy and practice are identified.

The policy context of leaving care services: A case study of Northern Ireland

The transition of foster youth from state care to independent living has received increased research, practice, and policy attention in the United States and in many other countries. Most contributions to this literature have focused on documenting poor outcomes across various dimensions of need in the young people's lives whereas little attention has been given to the policy context in which the responses to those needs are being developed. In this article, we argue that there is a pressing need for better understanding of how the policy context can both promote and impede the development of appropriate services. To illustrate our argument, we use Northern Ireland as a policy case study both because of recent initiatives underway there in regard to youth transitions from state care and because of the heightened political sensibilities associated with it as a society. We draw attention to the socio-political historical context, a number of intersecting social policies, and the place of social work as a key occupation involved in delivering service improvements. We conclude by suggesting that this case study not only highlights the need to address similar aspects of the policy on youth transition from state care in the United States but also demonstrates the benefits of reflecting on policy development and implementation elsewhere in the world.

Young people leaving care: health, well‐being and outcomes

ABSTRACTThis paper focuses on the health and well‐being of young people making the transition from care to independent adulthood. It draws on findings from a wider study of outcomes for young people leaving care in England. Notably, the study used, as its key outcome indicators, measures of general and mental well‐being. In doing so, it was able to explore the interrelationship between these areas and young people's overall progress after care. The paper explores the extent to which young people experience difficulties related to physical and mental health, disability and emotional and behavioural problems. It will show that such difficulties can impact upon and be influenced by overall well‐being and post‐care progress in more traditional outcome areas such accommodation and career, and will suggest that the transition from care itself can adversely affect health and well‐being. The paper considers these issues within the context of a changing policy framework which has given increased priority to the health and well‐being of young people in and leaving care, particularly in light of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. It considers the ways that young people are supported to address health and well‐being and the implications for and impact on leaving care services.

Making a home, finding a job: investigating early housing and employment outcomes for young people leaving care

ABSTRACTThis paper presents findings from a new study of outcomes for young people leaving care funded by the Department for Education and Skills. It reports findings for a sample of 106 young people in relation to progress made in housing and employment some 12–15 months after leaving care. The generally poor employment outcomes of care leavers are acknowledged, but ingredients that make for success are also highlighted, including the value of settled care and post‐care careers, sound career planning and, significantly, the value of delaying young people’s transitions from care. Early career paths also interconnect with how young people fare in housing, in developing life skills and with other problems in their lives after leaving care. Housing outcomes were more encouraging and predominantly shaped by events after leaving care, and faring well in housing was the factor most closely associated with positive mental well‐being in young people. Some groups that are at risk of faring badly are identified, including young people with mental‐health problems, young people with persistent offending or substance misuse problems and, in some respects, young disabled people. The implications of these findings for leaving care services are considered.

Research Review: Young people leaving care

ABSTRACTThis paper reviews the international research on young people leaving care. Set in the context of a social exclusion framework, it explores young people’s accelerated and compressed transitions to adulthood, and discusses the development and classification of leaving care services in responding to their needs. It then considers the evidence from outcome studies and argues that adopting a resilience framework suggests that young people leaving care may fall into three groups: young people ‘moving on’, ‘survivors’ and ‘victims’. In concluding, it argues that these three pathways are associated with the quality of care young people receive, their transitions from care and the support they receive after care.

Graduating from the Child Welfare System

Summary: Historically, insufficient resources and assistance have been provided to young people leaving state care. This article provides a case study of the campaign for leaving care services in Victoria. Findings: Young people leaving care experience homelessness, early parenthood, loneliness, depression, poverty, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Attention is drawn to the key arguments for after-care supports for young people leaving care, the consumer and provider lobby groups that have driven the policy debate, the outcomes of existing services, and the barriers (particularly in Australia) to the creation of effective services. Applications: Supports and services that are needed to ensure improved outcomes for care leavers are identified. These include the provision of stable and supportive placements with a positive attitude to education, maintenance of links with either family members or community supports, a flexible and functional process for graduating from dependence to interdependence, the active involvement of young people in the leaving care planning and decision-making process, the availability of a range of accommodation options, and ongoing support as required.

A new approach to measuring the quality of leaving care services

This article is based on research designed to gain an understanding of service users' perceptions of leaving care services in one of Scotland's largest unitary authorities. Three research instruments, not previously applied to care leavers in the UK, were incorporated into the design to measure service users' perceived satisfaction with key providers and services. The article also argues that these research instruments can be successfully adapted to measure the quality of service provision in this area, to benefit service users and practitioners

Developing Leaving Care Services Tapping the Potential of Foster Carers

This paper by Jim Wade draws on the findings of a four-year study of specialist leaving care services, funded by the Department of Health. It situates moving on from substitute care or accommodation in the context of broader youth transitions to adulthood. Three key dimensions of transition for a sample of care leavers are discussed: the timing and nature of their moving on; their early education and employment careers; and their ability to develop networks of social support. Issues arising from the support offered by foster carers and social workers are also explored. Finally, the author makes a case for foster carers to have a more central place in the development of leaving care services.