Publication year: 2011
Source: Children and Youth Services Review, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 2 February 2011
Sara, Goodkind , Lisa A., Schelbe , Jeffrey J., Shook
Child welfare policies and practices are changing to allow more youth to remain in care beyond age 18. Yet, the majority of youth do not stay. Given recent evidence suggesting that remaining in care may be beneficial, there is a need to understand why youth leave. Using data gathered from in-depth interviews with young people aging out of care, this paper explores this question, relating it to youths’ understandings of adulthood and the successes and challenges they face during their transitions. We find that youth leave care because of misunderstanding and misinformation about the requirements for remaining in care, as…
Research Highlights: ►Youth leave care because of misunderstanding and desire for independence. ►Youth equate adulthood with independence and believe they must leave to become adults. ►Efforts to be independent hinder youths’ development of supportive relationships. ►Relationships are one of youths’ primary challenges in their transitions. ►Promotion of connected autonomy may be a good alternative to independence.