Making sense of leaving care: The contribution of Bridges model of transition to understanding the psycho-social process

Gabriela Dima and Caroline Skehill

Children and Youth Services Review, 2011, vol. 33, issue 12, 2532-2539

Abstract: This paper is based on research into the transition of young people leaving public care in Romania. Using this specific country example, the paper aims to contribute to present understandings of the psycho-social transition of young people from care to independent living by introducing the use of Bridges (2002) to build on existing theories and literature. The research discussed involved mixed methods design and was implemented in three phases: semi-structured interviews with 34 care leavers, focus groups with 32 professionals, and a professional-service user working group. The overall findings confirmed that young people experience two different, but interconnected transitions – social and psychological – which take place at different paces. A number of theoretical perspectives are explored to make sense of this transition including attachment theory, focal theory and identity. In addition, a new model for understanding the complex process of transitions was adapted from Bridges (2002) to capture the clear complexity of transition which the findings demonstrated in terms of their psycho-social transition. The paper concludes with messages for leaving and after care services with an emphasis on managing the psycho-social transition from care to independent living.

Keywords: Leaving public care; Youth transition; Bridges model of transition; Interpretative phenomenological analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:33:y:2011:i:12:p:2532-2539

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.08.016

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