Young People’s Transitions from Care to Adulthood in European and Post-communist Eastern European and

Central Asian Societies

Mike SteinEmeritus Professor

Aim of the presentation• To explore comparative policy, practice and conceptual issues

arising from four research samples (2008-2014)• 9 European countries: France; Germany, Ireland; Netherlands;

Norway; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland, and the UK (Mapping exercise, Stein and Munro (Eds.) 2008)

• 14 Post-communist European and Central Asian societies: Albania; Azerbaijan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czech Republic; Estonia; Georgia; Hungary; Kyrgyzstan; Poland; Russian Federation; Romania, and Uzbekistan (Mapping exercise: Lerch and Stein 2010)

• 5 European and post-communist societies: Albania; Czech Republic;, Finland and Poland (Peer research approach, Stein and Verweijen-Slamnescu 2012)

• 5 Post-communist European and central Asian societies: Armenia; Belarus; Kazakhstan; Latvia, and the Ukraine (Mapping exercise 2014)

Outline of presentation• Patterns and issues arising from:

o Type of placements and quality of careo Age and patterns of transitiono The legal and policy framework for preparing and supporting

young people after careo Official data and research

• Contextualising leaving care policy: implications of different ‘welfare regimes’ for leaving care policy using Esping-Andersen’s typology:o Conservativeo Social democratico Liberal

• Final reflections and discussion points

Types of placements and quality of care• European countries: patterns

o Family foster care – use of specialist ‘treatment’ foster care

o Variation in use of kinship careo Small children’s homes – mainly for older young people

(aged 12 plus)o Residential homes and centres for older young people

– social pedagogy• Post-communist countries: patterns

o Large institutional care – wide age rangeo Young people under Guardianship in kinship careo Less use of family placements – SOS ‘foster care’

villages and foster care projects (third sector)

Types of placements and quality of care

• In European countries: issueso Prevention, foster, residential, kinship care and

adoption – ongoing debateso Quality of care placements and outcomes o Participation of young people

• In post-communist countries: issueso De-institutionalisation programmes - lack of family

based care offering attachments and individual careo Preventing children entering institutional careo Reduction in abuses and violations of rightso Increase participation of young people

‘Offering individual care’

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Age and patterns of transition

• European societies: patternso Age range 15-21, most leave between 16 -18 years of ageo In comparison with normative transitions (young people in the

general population) the pattern is accelerated and compressed

o Leaving care younger and coping with changes in a short timeo Less supported and linear – ‘yo-yo’ pattern in general

population• Post-communist societies: patterns

o Age range 14 -26, young people remain in care longer if they stop in education, most vulnerable leave earlier

o In comparison with normative transitions the patterns are extended and abrupt – not knowing when they are leaving

o Unprepared and unsupported from large institutions

Age and patterns of transition

• European societies: issueso Opportunities for young people to ‘stay put’ in

placementso Staying in placements until 21 and ongoing support to

25 in some countrieso Replicate more normative transitions

• Post-communist societies: issueso Linked to wider de-institutionalisation programme –

Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Childreno Better preparation and planning of transitions – more

involvement of young people, knowing their planso Provide more support after care

‘More support after care’

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Legal and policy frameworks for preparation and after-care support

• European countries: patterns and issueso Preparation and after-care support may be part of either

general child care legislation or specialist ‘leaving care’ legislation

o Pattern and recommendations - to move to more specialist provisions which are ‘legal duties’ and less ‘permissive’

o Extend the age and range of legal provisions to support young people

• Post- communist countries: patterns and issueso Preparation and after-care support mainly part of general

child care legislation and ‘permissive’o Recommendations to strengthen the law – more specialisto Better policy co-ordination between central and local

services

Official data and research

• European countries: patterns and issueso Variation in the range and quality of official data collection – some

collected at A ‘national’ level and some at a ’local’ or ‘subunit’ levelo In most countries some research has been carried out – variation in

the range and type of studies carried outo Research generally shows poor outcomes for care leavers although

some do well, others get by and others do very poorly, compared with normative outcomes

• Post-communist countries: patterns and issueso Some official data – in some countries no data on care leaverso Very little research – some included in studies of other vulnerable

young peopleo Recommendations for ‘better official data’ and,o Monitoring of outcomes and more research

Contextualising leaving care policy

• Policy development influenced by many factors - Esping-Andersen proposed a typology taking into account the political context in which social policies develop in different countries

• Each Country assessed and classified on 2 main criteriao Whether services were provided as a ‘right’ to enable sustaining

a living without participation in the labour market (’decommodification’)

o Whether a country promotes social solidarity and reduces inequality

• Countries welfare regimes were identifies as:» Social democratic – high on both criteria» Liberal – low on both criteria» Conservative – in the middle

Contextualising leaving care policy

The Welfare Regimes of European countries

Social Democratic Conservative Liberal

Netherlands France SwitzerlandNorway Germany Sweden Ireland

SpainUnited Kingdom

There are also country specific issues and tendencies – reflecting history and culture

Contextualising leaving care policy

The Welfare Regimes of European countries

• Social Democratic – expect highest levels of provision for care leavers

• Specialist legal framework for care leavers a more recent development as ‘universalism’ – non stigmatising provision for all young people as distinct from specialist groups – central to the social democratic model

• Conservative – Germany and Spain no specialist legislation whereas UK and France had specialist provision

• Liberal – Switzerland no specialist provision• Also the issue of whether the legal framework is a ‘duty’ or

‘permissive’ - Ireland (Conservative) had ‘specialist’ permissive legislation

Contextualising leaving care policy

The Welfare Regimes of post-communist European countries• Esping-Andersen envisaged the transition of post-communist

countries would lead to the adoption of one of the 3 main welfare regimes, in part driven by potential or actual membership of the European Union

• This has been challenged by other academics from post-communist societies who have identified the impact of both internal and external forces (including the EU, UNCRC and UNICEF) and have proposed:

• Former USSR• Post-communist European• Post-socialist welfare• Developing states

Contextualising leaving care policy

The Welfare Regimes of post-communist Central Asian countries

• Esping-Andersen’s typology is based largely on western models of welfare

• In Asian and Eastern societies values of family solidarity, independence through labour market participation, assistance from family and non-governmental sources (influenced by Confucian ideas and values)

• Different from statist economic model underpinning Esping-Andersen

Final reflections: mapping and peer research

• Challenge of de-institutionalisation in post-communist countries; use of ‘under Guardianship’ in kinship care; lack of preventative services

• Use of foster care in European countries but also positive contribution of residential care for teenagers - using social pedagogy and ‘treatment’ approaches

• In European and post-communist societies transitions from foster or residential care to adulthood doesn’t reflect normative transitions – extended, supported, non-linear

• In some European and most post-communist societies lack of specialist legislation and duties for supporting young people after they left care and involving young people

• In the European countries there was more evidence of the collection of official data and research than in post-communist societies – although still a long way to go!

‘Involving young people’

Final reflections: contextualising leaving care

• Esping-Andersen’s typology is ‘limited’ in its application to European countries and relevance to both post-communist European and Central Asian societies

• Does not accommodate the balance between universalism and specialist policies in meeting needs of vulnerable groups?

• Development of new post communist identities –’struggle’?• Imposition of ‘western’ models of welfare on central Asian

societies?• Contribution of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the

Child (UNCRC) - Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children:o Progress and problems of implementation

• Where next?o Further mapping and peer research – extend to other

countries and;o Re-think conceptualisation – challenges of comparative work,

globalisation

Research references• Stein M (2014) Young people’s transitions from Care to Adulthood in

European and Post-communist Eastern European and Central Asian Societies, Australian Social Work, Vol. 67. 1

• Stein M and Verweijen-Slamnescu R (2012) When Care Ends, Lessons from Peer Research, insights from young people on leaving care in Albania, the Czech Republic, Finland and Poland, SOS Children’s Villages International

• Stein M (2010) Conclusion, From Care to Adulthood in European and Central Asian Societies, in Lerch V with Stein M (eds.) Ageing Out of Care, from care to adulthood in European and Central Asian Societies, SOS Children’s Villages International

• Stein, M and Munro, E. (eds.) (2008) Young People’s Transitions from Care to Adulthood: International Research and Practice, Jessica Kingsley

On de-institutionalisation• Save the Children (2014) Child Care Institutions: A Last Resort, Policy Brief

On globalisation• Pinkerton J (2011) Constructing a global understanding of the social ecology

of leaving out of home care, Children and Youth Services Review, 33 (12)