Leaving Alternative Care and Reintegration

It is important to support children who are preparing to leave care. This includes helping young people as they ‘age out’ of the care system and transition to independent living, as well as children planning to return home and reintegrate with their families. In either case, leaving care should be a gradual and supervised process that involves careful preparation and follow-up support to children and families.

The transition from alternative care to independent living can be challenging for young people. While some departures from care may be well planned, others may be sudden or unexpected, leaving young people emotionally and financially ill-equipped to cope with change. Without adequate preparation for leaving care and support during the aftercare phase, young people may face risks such as long-term unemployment, substance abuse, involvement in criminal activities and homelessness. Studies indicate that the biggest barriers to transitioning children out of care includes the absence of supportive relationships, educational challenges, housing instability and economic challenges (unemployment).

Reducing these risks involves working with children to plan for life after care and adulthood– including helping them to determine the most appropriate living environment, develop necessary life, financial management and job skills, and ensure that they have a reliable support system in place. Once children leave care, they should be encouraged to maintain contact with their previous care givers and friends, have access to basic services and quality housing with financial assistance, and be supported to follow educational, vocational and employment opportunities. Above all, evidence indicates that young people who benefit from gradual, extended and supported transitions from care have better outcomes than those who leave early and abruptly.

Girls and boys who leave care to return home can also benefit from a gradual process of reintegration with their families – both before and after the event. Initially this should involve a comprehensive assessment of whether the problems that led to family separation (such as poverty or social problems) have been adequately resolved, and whether a return home is in a child’s best interests. If so, the child, family and alternative caregivers should be supported to prepare and plan for reintegration – which may involve increasing the frequency and duration of children’s family visits before the final return, helping to build parenting skills, assessing families’ financial, practical and emotional support needs and developing a care plan to address them.

Once children are reunited with their families, ongoing support and supervision can play a critical role in ensuring that reintegration is lasting. For example social or community workers can provide counselling support, facilitate families’ access to social protection benefits and make sure that children have the academic support required to catch up at a new school. In some cases, children’s extended family and the broader community can also be encouraged to provide emotional or practical support.

This section contains literature on children leaving alternative care in non-emergency settings. This includes lessons learned and best practices regarding family reintegration, as well as guidance for supporting young people as they leave the care system and transition to independent living.

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What? Who? How? Guide for Children and Young People Who are About to Leave or Have Left Alternative Care Services

Changing the Way We Care, Lumos Foundation, Maestral, Catholic Relief Services, 2020

This guide is for children and young people who are about to leave or have left alternative care services and provides life skills resources and advice targeted to this group. Government institutions, non-profits, civil society, and other actors supporting this group are encouraged to print and distribute this resource to them.

Relationship-based practice and service system expertise to support young people transitioning from out-of-home care in Victoria: The Salvation Army Westcare Continuing Care program evaluation final report

Jade Purtell, Philip Mendes - Monash University Department of Social Work, 2020

This is the final report of the evaluation of the Salvation Army Westcare Continuing Care Program, which aimed to provide relationship-based support to assist the planning, preparation and support needs of young people during their transition from out-of-home care (OOHC) to independent living.

Reconciling care and justice in contesting social harm through performance and arts practice with looked after children and care leavers

Nunn, Alexander; Dodsley, Thomas; Bowers-Brown, Tamsin; Benaton, Tonimarie; Murden, Jade; Manning-Jones, Alix - Children and Society, 2020

This paper reports findings from an innovative arts-based intervention with Looked After Children and Young People and concludes that holding these competing value sets in creative tension is central to the success of the programme in helping young people to cope with and contest social harm.

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Experiences of Children Living in Foster Families in Kajiado County, Kenya

Josephine Naita Waweru, Henry Tucholski, Catherine Kisasa, Catherine Mwarari, Anatasio Nyagah, Beatrice Churu - Institute of Youth Studies Tangaza University College, 2020

This study adopted a phenomenological research design, purposively sampling 26 preteens and teenagers living, during the school term, in a Charitable Children's Institution (CCI) that doubles up as their School and then moving to live with foster families during the school holidays. The focal areas of the field study were the young people's experiences in the CCI, the transition to the foster families, and the young people's experiences in foster care.

Overview of the Foster Care System in Poland and the Process of Care Leavers Gaining Independence: Possibilities, Limitations, and Directions for Further Changes

Kulikowski Piotr - Colloquium Wydziału Nauk Humanistycznych i Społecznych AMW, 2020

The aim of this paper is to indicate threats and possibilities as regards the functioning of the foster care system and the process of adult care leavers’ gaining independence.

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Resilience and Outcomes of South African Girls and Boys Town Care-Leavers Over the First Six Years Out of Care

Lisa Dickens and Adrian van Breda - Girls and Boys Town South Africa In partnership with the Department of Social Work and Community Development, University of Johannesburg, 2020

This report presents the latest findings from the Growth Beyond the Town Girls and Boys Town South Africa (GBTSA)/University of Johannesburg (UJ) joint partnership longitudinal research study. Presented are the findings from 150 participants who were interviewed as they disengaged from GBTSA, as well as the outcomes of many of these care-leavers that have been measured each year during follow-up interviews.

Solutions for Children Previously Affiliated With Extremist Groups: An Evidence Base to Inform Repatriation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration

UN Office of the SRSG on Violence against Children, 2020

This report from the UN Office of the SRSG on Violence against Children explores repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of foreign, Iraqi and Syrian children who are being held in detention on suspected ISIS association or terror-related offenses, or in camps.

Young adults leaving care: Agency and educational choice

Meri Kulmala, Zhanna Chernova, Anna Fomina - Reforming Child Welfare in the Post-Soviet Space, 2020

This chapter analyses the educational choices and decisions of young people who have recently transitioned from alternative care to independent living in North-West Russia.

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Ce? Cine? Cum? Ghid pentru copii Ji tineri pe cale de a ieJi sau ieJifi din servicii de ingrijire alternativa

Changing the Way We Care, Lumos Foundation, Maestral, Catholic Relief Services, 2020

Acest ghid este destinat copiilor și tinerilor care sunt pe cale de a ieși sau deja au ieșit din serviciile de îngrijire alternativă și oferă resurse și sfaturi pentru dezvoltarea abilităților practice de integrare în societate pentru acest grup. Instituțiile guvernamentale, organizațiile non-guvernamentale, societatea civilă și alți actori care susțin acest grup sunt încurajați să tipărească acest ghid și să-l distribuie printre copii și tineri.

Summary Report: Mid-term Review (MTR) for Family Based Care (FBC) Pilot Project with Base Model CCIs

Miracle Foundation India, 2020

This Internal Mid Term Review (MTR) was conducted after completion of Year 1 of a pilot project to create a replicable model for child care institutions (CCIs) to effectively implement Family Based & Alternative Care in India.