'I've changed so much within a year': care leavers' perspectives on the aftercare planning process

Abstract

Increasing the participation of children and young people in matters related to their care and aftercare is regarded as international best practice. While research demonstrates that children and young people benefit from involvement in care-related processes, participation continues to pose challenges for social work practitioners. Studies to date have tended to focus on in-care engagement and, consequently, relatively little is known about the experiences of young people as they age out of care, particularly in terms of their perceived involvement and engagement in the planning-to-leave care process. This paper examines young people’s experiences of the aftercare planning process in Ireland drawing on data from the first phase of a qualitative longitudinal study of young people leaving care. Sixteen participants were recruited at baseline and interviewed in-depth. The approach to interviewing was flexible and encouraged participants to talk about their experiences of care and the aftercare planning process. The findings indicate considerable diversity in how young people experience and attach meaning to the transition out of care. They also reveal complexities surrounding youth participation in the leaving care planning process and uncover a number of distinct facilitators and barriers to participation. Conclusions are drawn and the implications for practice are discussed.