Experiences of Young People Leaving Children's Homes as a Form of Institutional Care: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

In Türkiye, there are very few studies examining the outcomes of children's homes, which are institutional care services where children/young people in need of protection are cared for, in terms of independent living. This study was designed in line with the question of how young people who have left these homes experience independent living and based on data obtained through in-depth interviews with a total of 20 young people, 10 men and 10 women, aged between 18 and 24. The young people had experienced children's homes for at least 3 years and had left the children's homes at least 1 year ago. The findings of this research are presented through three main themes: ‘leaving care’, ‘receiving social support’ and ‘receiving public support: employment’. As a result of the research, it was revealed that care leavers may face some problems in aftercare in terms of their age and experiences and may need social support mechanisms and healthy socialization experiences.