Displaying 21 - 30 of 43
Abstract
Although a future focus is recognized as a contributing factor to resilience, the content of future focus is seldom explored. Care-leavers in South Africa exit the statutory system and enter into adulthood largely unsupported. Their futures are hampered by limited preparation for leaving care, the absence of follow-up services and contextual factors such as high unemployment rates. Having a well-developed future focus may contribute to better outcomes for care-leavers. Drawing on data from a small qualitative study carried out in four child and youth care centres in a town in the…
ABSTRACT
Internationally, the care-leaving debate began in the 1970s. The poor outcomes associated with care-leaving in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia prompted attention resulting in policy change in recent years, which continues to develop. The experience and outcomes for care leavers in South Africa reflects that of their contemporaries in other countries, however, contextual factors compound the problems that they face and there is little support available to them. This paper discusses some of the challenges facing care leavers and the development of the care…
Abstract
This article examines the care experiences of former looked‐after children from a residential care setting in South Africa. There is only limited research among care leavers in South Africa, and even less on their experiences of being in care. Six young adults who had been in residential care participated in individual and focus group interviews. The research was informed by Rogers' person‐centred approach. Two central themes emerged from the data, namely, experiences concerning the “I”—the self of the young person—and experiences concerning the “we”—the young person in…
This paper discusses the experiences of parents receiving family reunification services because their children have been placed in child and youth care centres. The sample was purposively selected according to inclusion criteria. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and guided by participatory learning action techniques. The findings were valuable as existing challenges were mentioned, like the unavailability of designated social workers and lack of communication, which in the end affected family reunification. The value of support became evident as the parents expressed…
Research on young people transitioning out of the childcare system and into young adulthood is inevitably reductionist in that it is unable to take into account the many complex forces that play a role in the development of a child from birth, into and through the care system and on to adulthood. Consequently, studies on the outcomes of care-leavers need to be interpreted with care and thought. This paper serves to illustrate these challenges in research and the various ways that research results can be interpreted by drawing on data from a study being conducted in a residential care…
Abstract
This article describes the 1‐year outcomes of youth transitioning out of a residential care facility in South Africa. Those outcomes are compared with both national data on youth in the general population and care leavers from the United Kingdom. Analysis of the outcomes of 52 care leavers showed that they had fairly secure accommodation, low levels of homelessness, and low levels of criminal involvement and substance abuse. However, care leavers were particularly vulnerable in their educational attainment and employment outcomes and ran the risk of being not in employment,…
Abstract
The journey out of residential care towards independent living in South Africa is significantly under-researched. This article draws on data from the only longitudinal study on care-leaving in South Africa. It uses resilience theory to explain the differences observed in independent living outcomes of care-leavers, one year after leaving the residential care of Girls and Boys Town. A sample of 52 young people completed the Youth Ecological Resilience Scale just before disengaging from care between 2012 and 2015 and participated in a follow-up interview one year later, focused on…
Abstract
This article describes the 1‐year outcomes of youth transitioning out of a residential care facility in South Africa. Those outcomes are compared with both national data on youth in the general population and care leavers from the United Kingdom. Analysis of the outcomes of 52 care leavers showed that they had fairly secure accommodation, low levels of homelessness, and low levels of criminal involvement and substance abuse. However, care leavers were particularly vulnerable in their educational attainment and employment outcomes and ran the risk of being not in employment,…
Abstract
Residential child and youth care centres typically provide programmes to develop the social and life skills of the children in care, on the assumption that these skills will equip them for adult life. However, there is little research to show whether and how these skills are transferred from the child care setting to young adulthood. This qualitative study investigates how a sample of male care-leavers from Girls and Boys Town South Africa transferred these social skills into independent living. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten young men who had…
Abstract
This article examines the care experiences of former looked‐after children from a residential care setting in South Africa. There is only limited research among care leavers in South Africa, and even less on their experiences of being in care. Six young adults who had been in residential care participated in individual and focus group interviews. The research was informed by Rogers' person‐centred approach. Two central themes emerged from the data, namely, experiences concerning the “I”—the self of the young person—and experiences concerning the “we”—the young person in…