Coping with leaving public care and the challenges of transition to independent living

Abstract

Leaving care is a field in its early developmental stage in literature, research and practice in Romania. This paper aims to explore young people's outcomes and experiences of coping with life after leaving state care and the challanges of independency. The study design is mixed methods - qualitative with a complementary quantitative dimension. 34 young people who left care since two to four years were interviewed. Outcomes picture a predominantly negative profile of care leavers in core life areas. The voices of young people on their experience of transition bring an indepth understanding of coping with after care life. Recommendations to strenghten young people's internal and external coping resources are made along a model of Seiffge-Krenke (1995) developed to investigate stress and coping in adolescence rewoked for leaving care.