Front Cover -- Half-title -- Series information -- Title page -- Copyright information -- Table of contents -- List of figures and tables -- Notes on contributors -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- Introduction: Moving towards the edge -- Introduction -- Balancing on the edge to ensure relevant knowledge for the future -- The global network behind this publication -- From the middle towards the edges: overview of the book -- Part I: Groups of care- leavers living on the edge -- Part II: Methods of care- leaving research -- Part III: Theory and conceptualisation of leaving care -- From the edges into the future -- Notes -- PART I Groups of care-leavers living on the edge -- 1 Unaccompanied migrant youth leaving care in Spain: how their journeys differ from those of other care-leavers -- Introduction -- Study's research questions -- Method -- Participants -- Instruments -- Semi-structured interview -- Procedure -- Data analysis -- Results -- Psychosocial adaptation -- Profiles and pathways into adulthood of care-leavers in aftercare services -- Discussion -- Self-esteem and wellbeing -- Independent living skills -- Unaccompanied migrant young people's backgrounds and profiles -- Predicting psychosocial adaptation -- Limitations -- Conclusion -- Note -- References -- 2 'The question is: will the street leave us?' Care-leavers with a street-connected past -- Introduction -- Research context: street-connected children and youth in Bolivia -- Methodology -- Participants -- Data collection and analysis -- Ethical issues -- Findings -- Factor 2: There is no aftercare support -- Factor 3: The lack of family or social support -- Factor 4: Their social network is still based on their street-connected peers -- Factor 5: Their street marks hinder their social reintegration -- Discussion and conclusion -- References.

3 Care-leavers' reflections on resilience processes acquired while living on the street prior to coming into residential care in South Africa -- Introduction -- Context and review of literature -- Theoretical lens -- Methodology -- Findings -- Building a safe, collaborative family -- Networking people for resources -- Reflective learning and life lessons -- Discussion -- Practice implications -- Limitations -- Conclusion -- References -- 4 LGBTQIA+ foster-care-leavers: creating equitable and affirming systems of care -- LGBTQIA+ youth in foster care -- Shifting from risk to resilience -- Theoretical frameworks and perspectives -- Minority stress theory -- Life course theory -- Resilience theory -- Anti-oppressive practice perspective -- Structural approaches to protecting and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth -- Research and evaluation -- Policies and guidelines -- Sexual orientation, gender identity and expression data collection -- Mandated training -- Universally safe, inclusive and affirming resources and environments -- Critical approaches for working with LGBTQIA+ care leavers -- Strengths and empowerment-based practices -- Building and enhancing supportive networks -- Trauma-informed care -- Positive youth development -- Conclusion -- References -- PART II Methods of care-leaving research -- 5 Institutional ethnography: linking the individual and the institutional in care-leaving research -- Introduction -- About institutional ethnography -- Introduction to the studies -- The Norwegian context -- The two studies -- Study 1: Analysing social workers' discretionary judgement about aftercare -- The experience -- Identifying institutional processes -- Investigating institutional processes -- Study 2: Analysing the experience of disabled care-leavers -- The experience -- Identifying institutional processes -- Investigating institutional processes.

The mandate: policy on aftercare support -- Models of disability -- How institutional ethnography benefits the two studies -- References -- 6 Methodological issues when interviewing disabled care-leavers: lessons learned from South Africa, Norway and Northern Ireland -- Introduction -- Positioning disability -- Methodological approach: bringing three studies together -- The impact of country context -- Categorisation of disabled care-leavers and the impact on recruitment -- Designing an inclusive research approach -- Responding to fieldwork challenges -- Conclusion -- Note -- References -- 7 Trauma-informed research with young people transitioning from care: balancing methodological rigour with participatory and empowering practice -- Introduction -- Recruitment and sampling difficulties in research with care-leavers -- Participatory and empowering, trauma-informed methodologies -- The adaptive participation model -- Resource mapping -- Time -- Staff -- Funding -- Participants -- Modes of inquiry: 'introspective' or 'extrospective' questioning -- Audience and influence -- Discussion and conclusion -- References -- 8 Care foundations: making care central in research with care-experienced people -- Considering a 'caring' view in the research process -- Considering care during research design -- Reflections on the advantages and challenges of insider researcher: considerations for others -- How caring approaches can address and ensure meaningful participant involvement -- Conclusion -- Note -- References -- PART III Theory and conceptualisation of leaving care -- 9 Stability in residential out-of-home care in Australia: how can we understand it? -- Introduction -- Previous operationalisation of stability in out-of-home care -- Connections between stability/instability and outcomes -- Methodology -- Sampling and data collection -- Data analysis.

Who are the participants? -- Novel findings -- Staff consistency -- Co-resident stability -- Casual staff -- Safety -- Ongoing staff contact -- Training and supervision -- Discussion and practice implications -- Limitations of the research -- Conclusion -- References -- 10 Living an unstable life: exploring facets of instability in the lives of care-leavers in Denmark -- Introduction -- Instability as a circumstance in life -- Facets of instability -- Adapting to an unstable life -- Instability as an uncontrollable circumstance in life -- Seeking to stabilise an unstable life -- Conclusion -- References -- 11 Understanding the risk of suicide among care-leavers: the potential contribution of theories -- Introduction -- Background: care-leavers' risk of adverse experiences in early adulthood -- Theories of suicide and their links to care-leavers -- Joiner's Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide -- Approach -- Examples from empirical leaving-care studies and the link to the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide -- Thwarted belongingness -- Perceived burdensomeness -- Acquired capability -- Socio-ecological perspective -- Conclusion -- References -- 12 Getting by and getting ahead in Australia: a conceptual approach to examining the individual impact of informal social capital on care-leaver transitions -- Introduction -- Study foundation and conceptual framework -- Youth to adulthood transition -- A typology of care-leaver resilience -- Concepts of social capital and social support -- Developmental and environmental resources -- Integration of concepts to achieve the study's aim -- Methodology -- Introductory description of each case -- Trudy and Peter -- John and Amy -- Leroy and Helen -- Findings: the role of informal social capital -- Accessing developmental and environmental resources -- Social relationships.

Emotional and behavioural development, social relationships and health -- Family-like relationships and identity -- Specific self-care and independent living skills, income and identity -- Housing, family relationships, identity -- Emotional and behavioural development and social presentation -- Themes -- Theme 1: Informal social capital and social support are valuable to all care-leavers -- Theme 2: Informal adult support is crucial for care-leavers -- Getting by and getting ahead -- Conclusion -- References -- Conclusion: Going over the edge -- Introduction -- Groups of care-leavers -- Research methods -- Theories of leaving care -- Blind spots as 'edgy' starting points: critical reflections on well-established frameworks and concepts -- 'On the edge' of concepts: reconceptualisation of theoretical framework by proposing new aspects -- 'Over the edge': extension of theoretical understanding of care-leavers' experiences to strengthen the value and impact of research -- Reaching into the future -- Conclusion -- Index.

Addressing previously neglected groups of care leavers such as unaccompanied migrants, street youth, young parents and those with a disability, this book considers the precarity often experienced by many care leavers. It makes research relevant to practitioners and policy-makers aiming to enable, rather than label, vulnerable groups.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.