Wards leaving care: Follow up five years on

Young people ‘ageing out of care’ have to manage multiple transitions – leaving ‘home’, moving into independent accommodation, leaving school and trying to find work or some other means of support, becoming financially independent, and often becoming parents - at a much younger age and with fewer resources and supports than other young people their age. This paper presents the findings of the fourth interview in the follow-up to the Longitudinal Study of Wards Leaving Care study in New South Wales, and focuses on three main questions. How were these young people faring 4–5 years after leaving care compared with other young people their age? How were they faring compared with their circumstances and outcomes 12 months after leaving care? What predicted better outcomes and not-so-good outcomes? While the pattern of low levels of educational attainment, and high rates of unemployment, mobility, homelessness, financial difficulty, loneliness and physical and mental health problems was consistent with that from other research in England, Ireland, Canada and the United States, some young people were faring quite well and much better than others. Understanding why is important in trying to support young people leaving care. The paper highlights some of the implications for policy and practice.