Abstract
For care leavers, the transition from a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) to independent living is a challenging experience given the unique circumstances. Among the challenges faced by care leavers, one that is typically pronounced for female care leavers is the additional responsibility of parenthood. For young female care-leavers, transitioning out of a CYCC to single motherhood without the support of a partner presents even more of a challenge.
In research, the care-leaving population is widely acknowledged as a vulnerable population. South African care-leavers are confronted with the additional contextual disadvantages that increase this vulnerability. These disadvantages include high levels of unemployment, complicated family related issues that result in family conflict, child-headed households, substance misuse and limited formal support structures. In the past, research has focused on the poor outcomes of care leavers. More recently, care leaving research is increasingly focusing on the resilience of care leavers following growing evidence that some care leavers show resilient outcomes, despite the challenging transitions.
Research that focuses on the young women’s experiences of single motherhood after leaving care is limited. This dissertation focuses on young women’s experiences of single motherhood after leaving CYCCs, a research area that is largely neglected in literature. Using the resilience theoretical framework, the focus is not only on the negative experiences of single motherhood, but also on the resilience of young women as they transition to single motherhood from a CYCC.
The study adopted a qualitative, exploratory approach. A phenomenological design was adopted to explore the transition to single motherhood, by exploring the experiences and perceptions of young women who grew up in CYCCs. Six young women aged 20 – 25 years, who had disengaged from residential care of three CYCCs at least three to four years prior to the research were purposively sampled for the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.
The findings of the study are presented in three main themes, namely theme 1: the young women’s experiences of the transition from the CYCC to single motherhood, theme 2: the young women’s resilience enhancing enablers, and theme 3: the young women’s perceived needed support. The findings of the study revealed that the young single mothers experienced negative motherhood, which include challenges after giving birth and struggling to adapt to teenage motherhood. Substance misuse contributed to the negative pregnancy experiences and the young mother’s inability to adapt to teenage single motherhood. Resilience enablers such as support from family and other adult figures, ...