Supporting young people in their transition from out-of-home care: what young people value in an after-care service

Aims and significance: This paper relates to the evaluation of a Queensland (Australia) initiative that supports young people aged 15-21 years to transition to independence after being in out-of-home care (OOHC). There is growing recognition that transition planning is insufficient to support young people to transition from OOHC and that support after they leave care is also required. However, there remains a lack of rigorous evaluation of such programs. This study aims to build knowledge about the needs of young people during their transition from OOHC and the features of after-care services that supports their transition. In light of this, the focus of this paper is: “what do young people value in an after-care support service?” The findings have implications for policy makers, practitioners and other stakeholders involved in supporting care leavers in their transition to independence. Method: A mixed-methods design was used to capture the perspective of young people who had accessed the aftercare service within the last year. During the period June to September 2017, young people participated in in-depth interviews (n=18) and an online survey (n=17). Respondents were drawn from metropolitan and rural areas from across Queensland and there was a mix of men and women, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous people represented. Findings: The analysis revealed that young people seek support for a variety of practical, social, interpersonal, and cultural needs. All of the young people identified that they valued the after-care service they received. Three interrelated themes were identified as contributing to this positive perception of the service: 1) participatory practice; 2) acknowledging and responding to a lack of capital; and 3) scaffolding independence.