YOUNG PEOPLE WHO have been in care face a “double transition” when leaving both school and care due to the lack of a traditional family structure, new research has determined.

At the end of February, there were 5,801 children in care in Ireland. 

A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) used focus group interviews with a small group of young people who have experienced being in the state’s care in Ireland to examine their experiences of a combination of school and care.

Within the research report, the ESRI highlighted several key findings that revolve around the young persons’ experiences as they prepared to leave both care and secondary school. 

Alongside findings such as the young people interviewed finding it difficult to make friends as a result of multiple school changes, the study also found that many young people who were unsure about advancing immediately to third-level education felt pressure to do so to receive the aftercare allowance.

Eligibility for an aftercare allowance for young people leaving care at the age of 18 is dependent on being on an accredited education course, third-level course or training programme.

The research findings made a distinction between care-experienced young people who were in more stable placements and did not face multiple moves and those who had experienced a more turbulent time in the state’s care.

Those determined as having had a more “stable” placement perceived advancing to third-level education as something that “you do”. Several young people who took part in the study were undecided about what they wanted to pursue after secondary school

A number of the young people interviewed for the study were also critical of the level of support they received from their aftercare workers as they prepared to leave care. Aftercare workers are support workers put in place to help young people as they age out of the system.

The report’s author Dr Merike Darmody highlighted that those leaving care are not a “homogenous” group and that there must be sufficient flexibility in place to meet the varied needs of the young people.

The ESRI’s report recommended that there be additional efforts from third-level institutions to assist care-leavers. It recommended linking the young people with available supports and providing targeting support where needed – such as full-year accommodation for those who have left care who do not have a family home to return to during holiday periods. 

The report stressed that young people who age out of the system are often facing both a transition into adulthood and wholly independent living.