A scoping review of the transition experiences and outcomes of young women leaving residential out-of-home care

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) are widely recognised as a vulnerable group, and those who have been placed in residential care experience the greatest challenges after leaving care. Young women exiting from residential care face numerous additional gender-specified challenges, such as early pregnancy and gender-based abuse, yet they have rarely been the subject of specific research. This study aims to examine the discrete leaving care transitions experienced by young women exiting residential care settings globally.
A scoping review was conducted in a global context, involving 31 peer-reviewed articles from both Global North and Global South countries. By analysing the key findings of these selected studies, this review identified a large range of topics related to female residential care leavers, including their experiences and outcomes before, during and after the transition. While the experiences of these young women vary in different contexts, they still exhibit numerous similar patterns. However, in research conducted particularly in Global North countries, this group is often only a small subset of broader study populations rather than the primary focus. Consequently, the findings related to them remain limited, underscoring the need for greater attention and dedicated investigation.
Keywords: residential care, care leaver, female, gender difference, young people transitioning from care