Care-Leavers’ Views on Their Preparation for Leaving Residential Care in South Africa

Abstract

The process of youth leaving residential care, for those who grew up in care, remains a global challenge. In South Africa, leaving care is complicated by the almost complete absence of aftercare support services, and a general lack of preparation for leaving care. This study aims to describe South African care-leavers’ views on how well they think they were prepared for care-leaving and what they believe could improve preparation for leaving care. This study is framed in resilience theory, to identify the interactional processes that facilitate better-than-expected outcomes. One-on-one qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 care-leavers, from both state-run and non-governmental residential care facilities. Grounded theory methods of data analysis were used. Participants identified both enablers of care-leaving (e.g., supportive relationships and early workplace exposure) and hinderances to their leaving care (e.g., overprotection and lack of family reunification services). This study concludes that more purposeful preparation for leaving care is required, with an emphasis on building youths’ capacity for interdependence, completion of education before leaving care, and ensuring family reunification work is done.