Abstract
The challenges associated with transitioning from alternative care are widely noted in the global careleaving
literature. The adverse life history of the care-leaving population increases their likelihood to
achieving poorer outcomes in adulthood, with many reported to struggle during the journey out of
care in the areas of education, mental health and employment, amongst others. In South Africa,
context-specific circumstances, such as high levels of poverty, growing rates of youth unemployment
and lack of access to transitional support, compound care-leavers’ vulnerability to poor outcomes in
adulthood.
Notwithstanding the challenges associated with leaving care and the increased vulnerability of young
people who grew up in care to achieve poor outcomes in adulthood, research recognises that building
young people’s resilience and preparing them for life after care facilitates a more successful transition.
However, the areas of resilience building and preparation for leaving care receive limited attention in
practice. In contrast, the care system tends to emphasise risk prevention and typically deprive young
people of the freedom to explore their environment and engage with manageable amounts of risks,
which are critical for building resilience and preparing for adulthood.
Care-leaving research is increasingly focused on factors that promote resilient functioning after
leaving care, and the importance of preparing young people for life after care is consistently noted.
However, research on what is done in practice to ensure that young people are adequately prepared
for life after care is limited. Similarly, despite the recognition that many young people leave
residential care without adequate preparation, there is limited research that explores preparation for
leaving care practices from the perspectives of caregivers and young people who grew up in care.
This study, therefore, explores the contribution of managed opportunities for independence (MOI) in
building young people’s resilience and preparing them for life after care. The study employs a
qualitative approach, informed by constructivist grounded theory design. Purposive sampling was
used to select 29 participants, namely: nine child and youth care workers working in residential care,
nine care-leavers and eleven young people living in residential care. Semi-structured interviews were
used to collect data and resilience theory was used as the theoretical lens.
Findings are presented in journal article format, with each of the articles aligned to one of the study’s
four objectives. The first article explores child and youth care workers’ (CYCWs’) experiences and
perceptions of how MOI contributed to building the resilience of young people in residential care.
Findings from this article reveal that some CYCWs afford MOI to young people in their care and that
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the practice of MOI contributed to building young people’s resilience while in care and prepared them
for life after care. This article provides useful insights into how the practice of MOI is approached in
residential care and most importantly, shows how risks associated with practicing independence are
managed by CYCWs.
The second objective, which is addressed in the second article, explores CYCWs’ experiences and
perceptions about institutional barriers to affording MOI in residential care. Findings from this article
reveal that while CYCWs perceive MOI as a useful in-care practice, there are several institutional
factors that hinder the practice of MOI in residential care. Notably, the barriers to the practice of MOI
seemed to be influenced by lack of mandate on preparation for leaving care practices.
Article three, which is aligned with the third objective, explores care-leavers’ experiences and
perceptions of how MOI contributed to preparing them for life after care. Findings from this article
reveal that being afforded MOI while in care contributed to resilient functioning after leaving care.
Findings from the care-leavers’ data showed that while young people experienced challenges during
the transition, they were able to adapt and successfully engage with the transitional challenges, which
highlights the need to build young people’s resilience while in care as way to build their capacities to
navigate transitional challenges.
The fourth and last article addresses objective four and explores the experiences and perceptions of
young people in residential care regarding MOI and their perceptions of how MOI builds resilience
and prepares them for life after care. The young people’s perceptions about their preparedness for the
approaching journey out of care demonstrate the contribution of MOI as a resilience building tool and
as a platform for young people to experience gradual transitions.
Several practice and policy implications are drawn from the findings of this study, including the need
to strengthen policy provisions on preparation for leaving care programmes, the importance of
channelling resources to allow for resilience building programmes while young people are still in
care, and promoting access to transitional and aftercare services to facilitate holistic care. This study
contributes to informing policy and in-care practice by offering a practice concept that not only
addresses possible guidelines of how to approach resilience building and preparation for leaving care,
but also recognises the importance of risk management. Furthermore, the study opens an important
topic about guidelines for building young people’s resilience and preparing them for adulthood, and
thus provokes further research on this inadequately addressed research topic.