Résumés
Abstract
Care-leaving literature widely utilizes resilience theory. This is due to an acknowledgment that while young people who grew up in care frequently achieve poorer outcomes during their transition from care to independent adulthood, some do well despite their challenges. Resilience research is also increasingly interested in the factors that promote resilient functioning during the transition out of care. However, research on how to build young people’s resilience while in care is limited. This paper introduces the notion of “managed opportunities for independence” (MOI), which are guided activities for young people that involve them acting independently. We explore the contribution of MOI in building the resilience of young people in care. Nine care-leavers who had disengaged from various residential care centers in South Africa were purposively sampled. The study employed a qualitative approach and a grounded theory design, with semi-structured individual interviews. Findings depict the range of MOI that care-leavers experienced, the ways in which these benefited them since leaving care, the kinds of independence they currently display as a result, and their suggestions for improving MOI. Implications for practice include proceduralizing MOI and making greater use of such opportunities to prepare young people for leaving care.
Keywords:
- independent adulthood,
- residential care,
- managed opportunities for independence,
- resilience,
- leaving care
Parties annexes
Bibliography
- Agere, L. M. (2014). An evaluation of the role of child and youth care centres in the implementation of the South Africa's Children's Act [Master’s thesis, University of Fort Hare].
- Alfandari, R., Taylor, B. J., Baginsky, M., Campbell, J., Helm, D., Killick, C., McCafferty, P., Mullineux, J., Shears, J., Sicora, A., & Whittaker, A. (2023). Making sense of risk: Social work at the boundary between care and control. Health, Risk & Society, 25(1-2), 75–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2022.2147904
- Anglin, J. (2002). Risk, well-being, and paramountcy in child protection: The need for transformation. Child & Youth Care Forum, 31(4), 233–254. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016303309618
- Arnett, J. J. (2015). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
- Bond, S. (2018). Care-leaving in South Africa: An international and social justice perspective. Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy, 34(1), 76-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/21699763.2017.1413994
- Bond, S. (2018). Care leavers’ and their care workers’ views of preparation and aftercare services in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Emerging Adulthood, 8(1), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818801106
- Bond, S., & van Breda, A. D. (2018). Interaction between possible selves and the resilience of care-leavers in South Africa. Children and Youth Services Review, 94, 88–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.09.014
- Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage.
- Crous, G., Montserrat, C., Gallart-Mir, J., & Matás, M. (2021). ‘In the end you’re no longer the kid from the children’s home, you‘re just yourself’: Resilience in care leavers over 25. European Journal of Social Work, 24(5), 896–909. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2021.1918063
- Dickens, L. F. (2018). One-year outcomes of youth exiting a residential care facility in South Africa. Child & Family Social Work, 23(4), 558–565. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12411
- Dickens, L. F., & Marx, P. (2018). NEET as an outcome for care leavers in South Africa: The case of Girls and Boys Town. Emerging Adulthood, 8(1), 64–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818805891
- Dumont, A., Lanctôt, N., & Paquette, G. (2022). “I had a shitty past; I want a great future.”: Hopes and fears of vulnerable adolescent girls aging out of care. Children and Youth Services Review, 134(1), Article 106374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106374
- Ferguson, L. (2018). “Could an increased focus on identity development in the provision of children’s services help shape positive outcomes for care leavers?”: A literature review. Child Care in Practice, 24(1), 76–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2016.1199536
- Fouché, C. B., & de Vos, A. S. (2011). Formal formulations. In A. S. de Vos, H. Strydom, C. B. Fouché, & C. S. L. Delport (Eds.), Research at grassroots for the social sciences and human service professions (4th ed., pp. 89–100). Van Schaik.
- Frimpong-Manso, K. A. (2018). Building and utilising resilience: The challenges and coping mechanisms of care leavers in Ghana. Children and Youth Services Review, 87, 52–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.02.016
- Greeff, M. (2011). Information collection: Interviewing. In A. S. De Vos, H. Strydom, C. B. Fouché, & C. S. L. Delport (Eds.), Research at grassroots for the social sciences and human service professions (4th ed., pp. 341–374). Van Schaik.
- Gwenzi, G. D. (2018). The transition from institutional care to adulthood and independence: A social services professional and institutional caregiver perspective in Harare, Zimbabwe. Child Care in Practice, 25(3), 248–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2017.1414034
- Gwenzi, G. D. (2023). Provision of transitional housing: A socially sustainable solution for care leavers in Zimbabwe. Practice, 35(2), 103–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/09503153.2022.2083100
- Haddow, S., Taylor, E. P., & Schwannauer, M. (2021). Positive peer relationships, coping and resilience in young people in alternative care: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 122(1), 1058–1061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105861
- Harder, A. T., Mann-Feder, V., Oterholm, I., & Refaeli, T. (2020). Supporting transitions to adulthood for youth leaving care: Consensus based principles. Children & Youth Services Review, 116(1), Article 105260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105260
- Heerde, J. A., Hemphill, S. A., & Scholes‐Balog, K. E. (2018). The impact of transitional programmes on post-transition outcomes for youth leaving out-of-home care: A meta-analysis. Health & Social Care in the Community, 26(1), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12348
- Hlungwani, J., & van Breda, A. D. (2022). Affording managed opportunities for independence to build looked-after young people’s resilience: Perceptions and experiences of care workers Journal of Children’s Services, 17(2), 137–151. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-10-2021-0044
- Hokanson, K., Neville, S. E., Teixeira, S., Singer, E., & Berzin, S. C. (2019). ‘There are a lot of good things that come out of it at the end’: Voices of resilience in youth formerly in foster care during emerging adulthood. Child Welfare, 97(6), 233–249. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48626324
- Liabo, K., McKenna, C., Ingold, A., & Roberts, H. (2017). Leaving foster or residential care: A participatory study of care leavers’ experiences of health and social care transitions. 43(2), 182–191. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12426
- Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic enquiry. Sage.
- Lou, Y., Taylor, E. P., & Di Folco, S. (2018). Resilience and resilience factors in children in residential care: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 89, 83–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.04.010
- Lwin, K., Fallon, B., Houston, E., Wilson, R., Fluke, J., Jud, A., & Trocmé, N. (2024). Exploring organizational learning, risk, and psychological safety: Perspectives of child welfare senior leaders in Canada. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 18(2), 209–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2023.2182398
- Mamelani Projects. (2013). Transitional support: The experiences and challenges facing youth transitioning out of state care in the Western Cape [Discussion paper]. https://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/files/Transitional Support-The experiences and challenges facing youth transitioning out of state care in the Western Cape.pdf
- Mamelani Projects. (2015). Transitional support programmes for the child and youth care sector. https://bettercarenetwork.org/library/principles-of-good-care-practices/leaving-alternative-care-and-reintegration/transitional-support-programmes-for-the-child-and-youth-care-sector
- Mann-Feder, V. R., & Goyette, M. (Eds.). (2019). Leaving care and the transition to adulthood: International contributions to theory, research, and practice. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190630485.001.0001
- Masten, A. S. (2014). Ordinary magic: Resilience in development. Guilford.
- Masten, A. S., & Barnes, A. J. (2018). Resilience in children: Developmental perspectives. Children, 5(7), Article 98. http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/5/7/98
- Masten, A. S., & Monn, A. R. (2015). Child and family resilience: A call for integrated science, practice, and professional training. Family Relations, 64(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12103
- Masten, A. S., & Narayan, A. J. (2012). Child development in the context of disaster, war, and terrorism: Pathways of risk and resilience. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 227–257. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100356
- McGhee, K., & Deeley, S. (2022). Emerging adulthood: Exploring the implications for care experienced young people and those who care for them. Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 21(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00084139
- Palmer, A., Norris, M., & Kelleher, J. (2022). Accelerated adulthood, extended adolescence and the care cliff: Supporting care leavers’ transition from care to independent living. Child & Family Social Work, 27(4), 748–759. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12922
- Pessoa, A. S. G., Coimbra, R. M., Murgo, C. S., van Breda, A. D., & Baker-Lewton, A. (2018). Resilience processes of Brazilian young people: Overcoming adversity through an arts program. Pesquisas e Práticas Psicossociais, 13(3), 1–17.
- Rauktis, M. E., Rangel Henriques, M., Acciaiuoli Barbosa‐Ducharne, M., Cruz, O., Lemos, M. S., & Lee, J. (2020). Measuring the restrictiveness of Portuguese residential care for children and youth. International Journal of Social Welfare, 29(3), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12402
- Refaeli, T., Benbenishty, R., & Eliel-Gev, M. (2013). Youth aging out of residential care in Israel: Readiness for independent living and need for help. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(9), 1601–1607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.06.014
- Republic of South Africa. (2005). Children’s Act, Act No 38 of 2005, Amended 2014. Pretoria: Government Printers.
- Republic of South Africa. (2019). National child care and protection policy: Working together to advance the rights of all children to care and protection. Pretoria: Government Printers.
- Reynolds, A. D., Hasson, R. G., & Crea, T. M. (2018). Testing the ‘overburdening’ hypothesis: Do work and school attendance together place youth transitioning from care at risk for negative housing outcomes? Children and Youth Services Review, 85, 279–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.01.008
- Rome, S. H., & Raskin, M. (2019). Transitioning out of foster care: The first 12 months. Youth & Society, 51(4), 529–547. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X17694968
- Rutter, M. (2012). Resilience as a dynamic concept. Development and Psychopathology, 24(2), 335–344. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579412000028
- Samuels, G. M., & Pryce, J. M. (2008). “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”: Survivalist self-reliance as resilience and risk among young adults aging out of foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(10), 1198–1210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.03.005
- Stein, M. (2005). Resilience and young people leaving care: Overcoming the odds [Research report]. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/73176/
- Stein, M. (2006). Research review: Young people leaving care. Child and Family Social Work, 11(3), 273–279. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2006.00439.x
- Stein, M. (2012). Young people leaving care: Supporting pathways to adulthood. Jessica Kingsley.
- Stein, M., & Verweijen-Slamnescu, R. (2012). When care ends: Lessons from peer research: Insights from young people on leaving care in Albania, the Czech Republic, Finland and Poland. SOS Children’s Villages International. https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/getmedia/80a754d9-8832-4a16-9e7e-11ece55b23e0/PeerResearch-European-Report-WEB.pdf
- Storø, J. (2018). To manage on one’s own after leaving care? A discussion of the concepts independence versus interdependence. Nordic Social Work Research, 8(sup1), 104–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/2156857x.2018.1463282
- Strydom, M., Schiller, U., & Orme, J. (2020). The current landscape of child protection services in South Africa: A systemic review. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 56(4), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.15270/56-4-881
- Taherdoost, H. (2016). Sampling methods in research methodology: How to choose a sampling technique for research. Journal of Academic Research in Management, 5(2), 18–27. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3205035
- Takele, A. M., & Kotecho, M. G. (2020). Female care-leavers’ experiences of aftercare in Ethiopia. Emerging Adulthood, 8(1), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696819868355
- Ungar, M. (2007). Too safe for their own good: How risk and responsibility help teens thrive. Allen & Unwin.
- Ungar, M., & Theron, L. (2020). Resilience and mental health: How multisystemic processes contribute to positive outcomes. Lancet Psychiatry, 7(5), 441–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(19)30434-1
- van Breda, A. D. (2015). Journey towards independent living: A grounded theory investigation of leaving the care of Girls & Boys Town, South Africa. Journal of Youth Studies, 18(3), 322–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2014.963534
- van Breda, A. D. (2017, 10 February). Building resilience to facilitate successful transitioning out of care towards young adulthood: Lessons from South Africa [Public lecture]. Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
- van Breda, A. D. (2018a). A critical review of resilience theory and its relevance for social work. Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk, 54(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.15270/54-1-611
- van Breda, A. D. (2018b). Research review: Aging out of residential care in South Africa. Child and Family Social Work, 23(3), 513–521. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12431
- van Breda, A. D. (2019). Developing the notion of ubuntu as African theory for social work practice. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 55(4), 439–450. https://doi.org/10.15270/55-4-762
- van Breda, A. D. (2021, August 31–September 3). A systematic literature review of research on the resilience of care-leavers in Africa transitioning to adulthood. Paper presented at the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents [EUSARF] 2021 – Conference XVI “The Perspective of the Child” [Online]. Geneva, Switzerland.
- van Breda, A. D., & Dickens, L. F. (2016). Young people transitioning from residential care in South Africa: Welfare contexts, resilience, research and practice. In P. Mendes & P. Snow (Eds.), Young people transitioning from out-of-home care: International research, policy and practice (pp. 349–366). Palgrave. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55639-4_17
- van Breda, A. D., & Hlungwani, J. (2019). Journey towards independent living: Resilience processes of women leaving residential care in South Africa. Journal of Youth Studies, 22(5), 604–622. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2018.1523541
- van Breda, A. D., Munro, E. R., Gilligan, R., Anghel, R., Harder, A., Incarnato, M., Mann-Feder, V., Refaeli, T., Stohler. R., & Storø, J. (2020). Extended care: Global dialogue on policy, practice and research. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, Article 105596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105596
- van Breda, A. D., Takele, A. M., & Kotecho, M. G. (2022). Caregivers’ perspectives on preparing girls to leave care in Ethiopia. Journal of Children’s Services, 17(2), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-10-2021-0041
- Zabern, A., & Bouteyre, E. (2018). Leading protective factors for children living out of home: A literature review. Child & Family Social Work, 23(2), 324–335. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12398