Full Description
The transition to adulthood is a longer and more complex process than it was just a few decades ago, and a growing number of youth and young adults experience significant challenges in the establishment of an autonomous and independent lifestyle when compared to previous generations. Successful high school graduation followed by employment is no longer the inevitable trajectory for young people, especially in the current socio-economic context where jobs are less accessible and more demanding in terms of specialized skills and higher academic qualifications. Unable to rely on family for emotional and financial support, vulnerable youth, who grow up in substitute care, are especially effected by the lengthening of this transition to adulthood.
The dismal outcomes for youth growing up in care are by now well-documented, and more recently, a range of models have been proposed to help advance our understanding of these outcomes and how to forestall them. However, the literature on leaving care has long suffered from the absence of theory that could guide meaningful intervention. In response to this gap, Leaving Care and the Transition to Adulthood offers a comprehensive overview of the newest contributions to this area in relation to theory, in addition to the Theory of Emerging Adulthood, while also featuring cutting-edge research and best practices that support adjustment across a range of domains for this population. International in scope, this book focuses on bringing together major advances that span the literature on transitioning to adulthood within the care system, offering a unique and important contribution to the field.
Contents
Foreword
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett
Introduction
Varda R. Mann-Feder
Part One: Theoretical Perspectives
1. How can I be a real adult? Developmental Theory as a Framework for Practice, Policy and Research on Care Leaving
Varda R. Mann-Feder
2. Social Networks and Social Support in the Transition to Adulthood: A Reflection on Social Integration Processes
Martin Goyette
3. Resilience, Transitions and Youth Leaving Care
Robbie Gilligan
4. Approaches to Realising the Rights of Young People Leaving out of Home Care
Emily R. Munro
5. Leaving Care Policy as Scaffolding for Resilience
John Pinkerton and Adrian Van Breda
Part Two: Research Contributions
6. The Transition to Adulthood from Care: A Review of Current Research
Élodie Marion and Veronika Paulsen
7. The Benefits of Extending State Care to Young Adults: Evidence from the United States of America
Mark E. Courtney
8. The Experiences of Indigenous Young People Transitioning from Out-of-Home Care in Victoria, Australia
Philip Mendes, Bernadette Saunders and Susan Baidawi
9. Leaving Child Protection at Age 18 or Continuing in Young Adult Protection
Isabelle Frechon and Lucy Marquette
10. Foster Care as a Support System for Early Leavers
Doug Magnuson, Mikael Jansson and Cecilia Benoit
11. Research on Care Leavers from Jordan
Rawan W. Ibrahim
Part Three: Practice Issues
12. Indigenous Youth Leaving Care in Canada: Lessons from our Past and Present
Elizabeth Fast, Zeina Ismail Allouche, Marie-Eve Drouin Gagné and Vicky Boldo
13. Mental Health and Suicide Concerns: Youth Work Practice Implications with Young People Leaving Care
Patti Ranahan
14. Caring Adults 'R' Everywhere (C.A.R.E.)©- Leveraging the Power of Relationships to Change the Lives of Foster Youth
Johanna K.P. Greeson and Allison E. Thompson
15. Care Leaving and the Transition Jungle in Germany
Severine Thomas, Carolin Ehlke, Josef Koch and Wolfgang Schröer
16. Earning a Hoodie, Voyager Capital: Peers as Social Capital, Transitioning Young People from Care Together
Kim Snow
Afterword
Martin Goyette
