Insights into needs of youth exiting care homes

Young people exiting alternative care in South Africa and Northern Ireland may be separated by land and sea, as well as cultural and socio-economic differences. But the support they need to help them navigate life outside the only home they know – to lead fulfilling lives – is almost identical.

This emerged from the United and Unique research project, carried out by Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Children’s Institute, in partnership with two civil society organisations in both cities.

The research aimed to join care leavers (young people who have spent time in the care of the state, including foster care and in children’s homes), their advocacy organisations and interdisciplinary researchers in South Africa and Northern Ireland, to foster an environment for shared learning. The research project – led by Professor Mandi MacDonald at Queens University Belfast and the Children’s Institute’s Lucy Jamieson – is funded through Impact Acceleration Awards from the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council.

“Young people leaving care often navigate a significant life transition with limited preparation, support, and visibility. While services exist, there remains a large gap in understanding their lived experiences and what meaningful support looks like in practice,” said Monica Edwards from Mamelani Projects, a community development organisation and Cape Town research partner.

Building a community

United and Unique’s goal was to build an international learning community between care-experienced youth, researchers and practitioners, and to identify priority areas for leaving care research, policy and practice. The project utilised online discussions with research participants and in-person exchanges in both Cape Town and Belfast. During these discussions, young people shared their experiences of living in care, what they anticipate about leaving care and their priorities for change.

The research revealed that while care leavers in both countries have a lot in common, there’s also a lot they can learn from each other’s different contexts.
 

“We hope that our project can highlight the gaps and support the development of service provision and relational practice.”

Participants also co-produced a short film United and Unique: Separated by geography, connected by community. It provided a stepping stone for young people to share their experiences in their own words and offered a platform to highlight common challenges they experience in both countries.

“In Northern Ireland we have a range of law and policy mandating support for young people leaving care, but this is not fully implemented. Limited resources and workforce pressures can impact access to this provision. We hope that our project can highlight the gaps and support the development of service provision and relational practice,” said Professor MacDonald. “We hope the film will challenge stereotypes and give insight into the experiences of care-experienced youth.”

In need of stable support

Charlene Hill, a youth resilience facilitator at Mamelani Projects, said what’s clear from the research is that participants require both emotional and practical support. And while they admitted to receiving a degree of support in both areas, some challenges remain. To ensure they lead fulfilling lives, she said young people leaving care must have access to employment opportunities, safe accommodation, emotional and financial support, and tips and tools to overcome discrimination. According to the research findings, these remain some of the largest priority areas for the cohort.

“Their hope is rooted in connection. And young people are hopeful, but they are clear that they need better access to opportunities and stable support. They also want to be heard and want to be able to give back to others who are in the same position,” Hill said.

Where to from here?

According to Jamieson, locally, the research supports the Children’s Institute’s partners to lobby for a stronger policy mandate and government funding for transitional programmes and aftercare services, to support young people to live independently once they celebrate their 18th birthday and can no longer remain in care.

“South African law does not currently require that all care leavers have equitable access to support,” Jamieson said. “The film conveys powerfully why this support is essential.”

Since seeing the short film screening, the member of the executive council (MEC) for social development in the Western Cape, Jaco Londt, has committed to working closely with young people in care and those exiting care to find ways to change the system and offer them the support they need.

Important, impactful work

For Cindee Bruyns, a lecturer in UCT’s Department of Social Work and Social Development and a cohost of the film screening, the project and the film underscore an important message – for youth in care and those leaving care; for researchers in the field; as well as for future social work professionals who will actively be working in the space once they graduate.

Bruyns said close to 200 first-year social work and social development students attended the screening, and all of them are taking a course in community connections. As part of the course, she said, students delve into the plethora of issues impacting families, as well as vulnerable children’s lived experiences. She said the film has already provided valuable insight for learning.

“The way in which this research was done is truly a lesson: to keep youth at the centre of the work being done in aid of them and to give them a platform to share their lived experiences,” Bruyns said.