Living on the Edge
Innovative Research on Leaving Care and Transitions to Adulthood
Edited by Samuel Keller, Inger Oterholm, Veronika Paulsen and Adrian van Breda
ISBN
978-1447366294Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Policy PressISBN
978-1447366317Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Policy Press
Living on the Edge
EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY licence.
Young people transitioning out of care towards independence, work and adulthood are on the edge of these phases of life. Considering previously neglected groups of care leavers such as unaccompanied migrants, street youth, those leaving residential care, young parents and those with a disability, this book presents cutting-edge research from emerging global scholars.
The collection addresses the precarity experienced by many care leavers, who often lack the social capital and resources to transition into stable education, employment and family life. Including the voices of care leavers throughout, it makes research relevant to practitioners and policymakers aiming to enable, rather than label, vulnerable groups.
"The profound insights of ‘Living on the Edge’ shed light on a path towards a more empathetic and informed understanding of care-leaving journeys. This gem of a book is a must-read for anyone dedicated to the wellbeing of our youth, offering essential guidance on how to effectively engage with them and ethically co-create knowledge." Rawan W. Ibrahim, PhD, INTRAC
“This book is a must for anyone interested in youth transitions from out-of-home care wanting to know what’s emerging in research as the new, the challenging, the ‘edgy’.” John Pinkerton, Queen’s University Belfast
"The profound insights of Living on the Edge shed light on a path towards a more empathetic and informed understanding of care-leaving journeys. This gem of a book is a must-read for anyone dedicated to the wellbeing of our youth, offering essential guidance on how to effectively engage with them and ethically co-create knowledge." Rawan W. Ibrahim, INTRAC
Samuel Keller is Lecturer and Researcher at the Institute of Childhood, Youth and Family at the School of Social Work at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
Inger Oterholm is Professor and Programme Director, Master of Social Work at VID Specialized University.
Veronika Paulsen is Research Professor at NTNU Social Research and Professor at the Department of Social Work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Adrian D. van Breda is Professor of Social Work at the University of Johannesburg.
Introduction: Moving Towards the Edge – Samuel Keller, Inger Oterholm, Veronika Paulsen and Adrian D. van Breda
Part 1: Groups of Care Leavers Living on the Edge
1. Unaccompanied Migrant Youth Leaving Care in Spain: How Their Journeys Differ from Those of Other Care Leavers – Laura García Alba, Federica Gullo
2. ‘The Question Is: Will the Street Leave Us?’ Care-Leavers with a Street-Connected Past – Marcela Losantos Velasco
3. Care-Leavers’ Reflections on Resilience Processes Acquired While Living on the Street Prior to Coming Into Residential Care in South Africa - Malose Samuel Mokgopha, Adrian D. Van Breda and Sue Bond
4. LGBTQIA+ Foster Care Leavers: Creating Equitable and Affirming Systems of Care – June Paul
Part 2: Methods of Care Leaving Research
5. Institutional Ethnography: Linking the Individual and the Institutional in Care Leaving Research – Ingri-Hanne Braenne Bennwik and Inger Oterholm
6. Methodological Issues When Interviewing Disabled Care Leavers: Lessons Learned from South Africa, Norway and Northern Ireland – Wendy Mupaku, Ingri-Hanne Braenne Bennwik and Berni Kelly
7. Trauma-Informed Research with Young People Transitioning From Care: Balancing Methodological Rigour With Participatory and Empowering Practice – Jade Purtell
8. Care Foundations: Making Care Central in Research with Care-Experienced People – Róisín Farragher, Petra Göbbels-Koch, John Paul Horn, and Annie Smith
Part 3: Theory and Conceptualisation of Leaving Care
9. Stability in Residential Out of Home Care in Australia: How Can We Understand it? – Jenna Bollinger
10. Living an Unstable Life: Exploring Facets of Instability in the Lives of Care Leavers in Denmark – Anne-Kirstine Mølholt
11. Understanding the Risk of Suicide Among Care Leavers: The Potential Contribution of Theories – Petra Göbbels-Koch
12. Getting By and Getting Ahead in Australia: A Conceptual Approach to Examining the Individual Impact of Informal Social Capital on Care Leaver Transitions – Jacinta Waugh, Philip Mendes and Catherine Flynn
Conclusion: Going Over the Edge – Adrian D. van Breda, Veronika Paulsen, Inger Oterholm and Samuel Keller