Challenges for young people leaving out-of-home care

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-05-23 03:00

Australia; QLD

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

Young people who leave out-of-home care as they transition to adulthood face high housing costs, fixed (often low) incomes, limited access to jobs and further education, difficulty building personal relationships and pressures from family, according to an Australian study. The team conducted interviews of young people between 18 and 23, focusing on the transition from out-of-home care, and found that relationships, especially those with family members, carers and services, are critical for young people to be supported and obtain resources. They also found that leaving care represents a fundamental break in identity for these young people, with participants discussing their active steps to forge new identities and to reconnect to parts of themselves that had not been supported during their time in care. The authors suggest that delaying the transition from care up to age 21 years is a welcome reform.