Abstract
Transitioning from residential care to independent living without family is challenging. Globally, care-leaving studies report that young people who grow up in care experience a more challenging transition into independent adulthood compared to those in the general population. While all young people who grew up in care have a higher likelihood to achieve poorer outcomes during independent adulthood, some studies have reported that young women experience additional gender specific challenges, making them more vulnerable than their male counterparts. The challenges are more pronounced for young women who transition from care without biological families to return to. However, research on female care-leavers remains limited and little is known about the experiences and perceptions of young women who transition from care to independent adulthood. The aim of this study, therefore, is to explore the experiences and perceptions of young women who transition from residential care to independent living without families. Using the resilience perspective as the theoretical lens, this study seeks to describe the adversities encountered by the young women transitioning from care to independent living without family support as well as the protective factors that facilitate resilient functioning of the female care-leavers without families and lastly, the research sought to make recommendations on ways of meeting the needs of young women transitioning from care to independent living without family assistance.
The study employed a qualitative descriptive approach, and it was informed by a descriptive phenomenological design that sought to describe the essence and meaning of the lived experiences and perceptions of the young women who grew up in residential care. Nine young women between the ages 21-30 who once lived in a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) were selected using purposive sampling method. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using a modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen phenomenological analysis method. The findings are presented in three main themes, namely young women’s experiences, adversities, and lastly coping mechanisms. Regarding young women’s experiences, the findings included the adulthood experiences, living independently and educational accomplishments. The study revealed that the young women had difficulties in integrating into the society, for instance they struggled to cope and had difficulties like securing employment, experienced separation anxiety and felt lonely, all of which were exacerbated by the absence of family. The findings also reveal that despite the challenges, the female care-leavers employed a range of the coping mechanisms to help them through the challenging transition. The coping mechanisms includes self-acceptance, access to social support, religion and being goal oriented. Recommendations for practice and policy are discussed.