‘Where to Go?’ Young People’s Early Destinations When Leaving Care

Abstract

Leaving care is a crucial event in the life of young people who have grown up in care for most of their life. This paper discusses the early destinations of care leavers and the availability of social support through the lenses of both social policy provisions and the individual experiences of young people. The findings reported are part of a larger mixed-methods study on a sample of 34 care leavers who had left care in one county of Romania. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was chosen for its potential to give voice to and make sense of young people’s experiences. Findings show that young people experience high housing instability and insecurity, early destinations being usually short-term solutions. Psychologically many experience leaving care as a second abandonment, by the state. The article concludes with some recommendations for leaving care policy and practice.