This book challenges and revises existing ways of thinking about leaving care policy, practice and research at regional, national and international levels. Bringing together contributors from fifteen countries, it covers a range of topical policy and practice issues within national, international or comparative contexts. These include youth justice, disability, access to higher education, the role of advocacy groups, ethical challenges and cultural factors. In doing so it demonstrates that, whilst young people are universally a vulnerable group, there are vast differences in their experiences of out-of-home care and transitions from care, and their shorter and longer-term outcomes. Equally, there are significant variations between jurisdictions in terms of the legislative, policy and practice supports and opportunities made available to them. This significant edited collection is essential reading for all those who work with young people from care, including social workers, counsellors, and youth and community practitioners, as well as for students and scholars of child welfare.

The transition from care into adulthood is a difficult step for any young person, but young people leaving care have a high risk of social exclusion, both in terms of material disadvantage and marginalisation. In Young People's Transitions from Care to Adulthood leading academics gather together the latest international research relating to the transition of young people leaving care, outlining and comparing the range of legal and policy frameworks, welfare regimes and innovative practice across 16 countries. The book also highlights the variations that exist between different groups leaving care. Featuring key messages for policy and practice, this book will give academics, practitioners and policymakers valuable insights into how to encourage resilience and improve outcomes for care leavers.

Each year more than 25,000 youth age out of the American foster care system to face uncertain futures as young adults. Many of them have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, disrupted family relationships, and multiple foster care placements. The past two decades have seen increased funding and services in a society-wide attempt to mitigate the effects of such childhood adversity, but a consistent pattern of loss and broken attachments adds up. Development and education are severely compromised. A quarter of youth experience homelessness after exiting care; 25-50% will not complete high school, and only 3-6% will graduate college. Four years after leaving care, less than half are employed, and their earnings remain well below the poverty line. Rates of mental health disorders, early pregnancy and parenthood, and involvement in the criminal justice system are all heightened. Youth Leaving Foster Care is the first comprehensive text to focus on youth emerging from care, offering a new theoretical framework to guide programs, policies, and services. The book argues that understanding infant, child, and adolescent development; attachment experiences and disruptions; and the impacts of unresolved trauma and loss on development are critical to improving long-term outcomes. It provides an overview of the foster care context, detailed discussion of the effects of maltreatment on development from infancy through young adulthood, and common mental health problems and treatment recommendations. It includes a discussion of delinquency and the juvenile justice system, as well as issues facing pregnant and parenting youth, LGBT youth, and youth with disabilities. Presenting the best practices in transitional living programs and policy and research recommendations, this crucial guide also reviews and summarizes the latest research, which are enhanced with illustrative case vignettes. Each mental health and program chapter concludes with key practice principles reflecting the relationship-based approach. Presenting a multidimensional, integrated perspective that gives greater consideration to psychological and interpersonal needs, this vital guide offers an approach that will strengthen the capacity of youth leaving care to transition into successful adult lives.

This comprehensive book thoroughly addresses all aspects of health care transition of adolescents and young adults with chronic illness or disability; and includes the framework, tools and case-based examples needed to develop and evaluate a Health Care Transition (HCT) planning program that can be implemented regardless of a patient’s disease or disability. Health Care Transition: Building a Program for Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Illness and Disability is a uniquely inclusive resource, incorporating youth/young adult, caregiver, and pediatric and adult provider voices and perspectives. Part I of the book opens by defining Health Care Transition, describing the urgent need for comprehensive transition planning, barriers to HCT and then offering a framework for developing and evaluating health care transition programs. Part II focuses on the anatomic and neuro-chemical changes that occur in the brain during adolescence and young adulthood, and how they affect function and behavior. Part III covers the perspectives of important participants in the HCT transition process – youth and young adults, caregivers, and both pediatric and adult providers. Each chapter in Part IV addresses a unique aspect of developing HCT programs. Part V explores various examples of successful transition from the perspective of five key participants in the transition process - patients, caregivers, pediatric providers, adult providers and third party payers. Related financial matters are covered in part VI, while Part VII explores special issues such as HCT and the medical home, international perspectives, and potential legal issues. Models of HCT programs are presented in Part VIII, utilizing an example case study. Representing perspectives from over 75 authors and more than 100 medical centers in North America and Europe, Health Care Transition: Building a Program for Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Illness and Disability is an ideal resource for any clinician, policy maker, caregiver, or hospitalist working with youth in transition.

"Young people leaving state care are arguably one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society. The social and economic costs associated with the current failure to provide adequate leaving-care and post-care supports to care-leavers are significant both for the individuals involved and the broader community. This book draws on new researched-based Australian studies and refers to local and international evidence in analysing leaving-care policy and practice. It provides much needed information on the relationships between care-leaver experiences, support programs and their outcomes, and our understanding of 'what works' with different groups of care-leavers"--P. [4] of cover.

In the decade after high school, young people continue to rely on their families in many ways-sometimes for financial support, sometimes for help with childcare, and sometimes for continued shelter. But what about those young people who confront special difficulties during this period, many of whom can count on little help from their families? On Your Own Without a Net documents the special challenges facing seven vulnerable populations during the transition to adulthood: former foster care youth, youth formerly involved in the juvenile justice system, youth in the criminal justice system, runaway and homeless youth, former special education students, young people in the mental health system, and youth with physical disabilities. During adolescence, government programs have been a major part of their lives, yet eligibility for most programs typically ends between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. This critical volume shows the unfortunate repercussions of this termination of support and points out the issues that must be addressed to improve these young people's chances of becoming successful adults.