This report documents the life experiences of care leavers in Australia. About 700 people participated in the research. Most of the participants lived in large institutions and spent the majority of their lives cut-off from family and community connections. The children often experienced verbal, physical, and sexual abuse while in institutional care. School was low quality and inconsistent.
Upon leaving care, participants felt woefully unprepared and experienced high levels of anxiety. Very few went on to get higher education, and only 67% of participants were working at the time of the study. The majority had an income below $60000 per year and half owned or were in the process of buying a home.
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