Navigating precarious times? The experience of young adults who have been in care in Norway, Denmark and England

Abstract

At a time of heightened international debate about youth precarity, how do we understand and support transitions to adulthood for people who have been in care? This paper reports on a qualitative longitudinal study of 75 young adults (aged 16-32 years) from Norway, Denmark, and England. All had been in care during childhood and at the time of their recruitment to the study all were in education, employment or training. Against the context of a literature largely focused on transitions specific to 'leaving care', our analysis addresses aspects of early adulthood which are not specific to being care experienced; some (such as romantic breakups, or moving home) might be considered normative, whilst others (such as changing course or dropping out of university) are less common. Cross-national analysis shows how care and wider welfare systems intersect with informal networks in everyday lives, functioning to scaffold young people, or to exacerbate precarity, as they navigate biographical transitions in early adulthood. The research shows the importance of developing socially and culturally located biographical accounts of 'transition' that recognise the complexities, uncertainties and essential interdependence of everyday lives and emerging adulthoods.

The Role of Agency in Shaping the Educational Journeys of Care‐experienced Adults: Insights from a Life Course Study of Education and Care

“…Considering this issue from a life course perspective highlights the need for increased flexibility when it comes to leaving care and the pursuit of education among people with care experience. The role and value of such flexibility for people with care experience with regard to various life domains (including education) has also been highlighted by Boddy, Bakketeig and Østergaard ().…”

The Future of Childhood Studies and Children & Society

“…To take one example, as editors, we see the implications of a narrow definition of childhood in the inequities inherent in support for young adults who were in care as children. In policy and practice across countries, ‘after care’ support has sharply bounded endpoints and definitional entitlements; political answers to the question of ‘what is a child’ define the period after which the role of the state as ‘corporate parent’ (as it is termed in English policy) will cease (Boddy, Bakketeig, and Østergaard, ). Yet, we live in a historical moment when ‘the boundaries of childhood, youth and adulthood are blurred, indistinct, porous and changing’ (Furlong and others, , p. 361), and intergenerational responsibilities increasingly extend into adulthood.…”

‘Actually There is a Brain in There’: Uncovering Complexity in Pathways Through Education for Young Adults Who Have Been in Care

“…(see Acknowledegements), which involved Denmark, England and Norway. The research as a whole set out to understand what ‘doing well’ means for people who experienced out of home placement during childhood, and combined secondary analysis of national administrative data; qualitative longitudinal research with care experienced adults (16‐ to 32‐year olds); and a cross‐national documentary review of relevant legislation and policy frameworks (see Boddy and others, ,).…”

“…For Natalie, inadequate support for her dyslexia resulted in failed exams at university; with the support of her social worker her needs were recognised in her final year, and by our final interview she had completed her degree and continued to a Masters programme. For Nicola, lack of support culminated in her dropping out part‐way through her final year; it was only following a chance encountered with a person of influence that she finally managed to secure her place again and access learning support (see Boddy and others, , for a fuller discussion of this case). James began an undergraduate degree at 29 years, despite having highly disrupted education as a child, as well as multiple placements and significant difficulties including a period in prison in early adulthood.…”

“…Jack's experience highlights the precarity of educational ‘success’ for those who are forced to rely on chance rather than on flexible opportunities built into the system (see also Boddy and others, ). What happens to people who do not achieve educational qualifications within ‘normative’ timeframes and who are not, in Jack's words, ‘thrown a lifeline’?…”