What happens after out-of-home care? Models of good practice for Care Leavers in Germany

What happens after out-of-home care?Models of good practice for Care Leavers in Germany Josef Koch, josef.koch@igfh.de Britta Sievers, britta.sievers@igfh.de Homepage: www.uni-hildesheim.de/careleaver

Structure • Young people in Germany – some figures • Residential and foster care in Germany – some figures • Care leavers in Germany - Key Issues • Models of support for care leavers • The „Care Leavers Project“ • Interview questions • Call for good practice models

Young people in Germanysome figures • In an overall population of 81,8 Million, a total of 24,6 % was less than 26 years old (2010) (Source: Destatis), 20.1 Million young people • Nearly 1 Million (954.000) young people and their families receive social provisions for children and families with problems (in 2009) (Source: KomDat 01/2011), 5 % of the age group 0 – 21 years

Residential and foster care in Germanysome figures

Care Leavers in GermanyKey Issues • young people who grew up in care are disproportionately disadvantaged in terms of educational outcomes • „double discrimination“ on the labour market due to their biographical background and the lower level of qualification • generally, for all adolescents the transition to adulthood is more open and uncertain and it often expands to the third live decade (It no longer exists a clear path such as: school  apprenticeship  employemt).

Average age when leaving home men women Care? 2010: Foster care: 15–18: 9.973 over 18–21: 3.480 over 21: 245 Residential care: 15-18: 23.046 over 18-21: 8.775 over 21: 672

Care Leavers in GermanyKey Issues • Care leavers are forced to live independently at an earlier stage of their life because residential care is terminated earlier (compared to the situation some years ago). • There are great regional differences regarding support for young adults (residential and foster care, § 41 SGB VIII, 18 to 21 years) • Residential care for over 18 years old is decreasing although this group continues to face many difficulties in their transition to adulthood (total,18-21 years, 2000: 12.312; 2005: 9.032; 2010: 8.775)

Care Leavers in GermanyKey Issues • German youth policy so far barely acknowledges the difficulties this group of young people face • (focus in youth welfare is presently on smaller children, early intervention and child protection) • little knowledge on process of transition from care as well as on outcomes and the situation of young adults after they have left care

Care Leavers in GermanyKey Issues • Complex legal framework (different responsibilities often lead to disruptions of the relationship to carers or other helpers) • Child and Youth Welfare (§ 41 SGB VIII) • Labour administration (support in finding employment, SGB II and III) • Social Services for persons with special needs (assistance for ill, disabled or persons with emotional problems, SGB XII) • Aliens law: relevant for migrants with a foreign nationality (especially if they do not have a secure residence right / unaccompanied minor refugees)

Models of support for care leavers • Assisted housing: eg. from foster or residential care move to accomodation with social worker support • Mentoring programmes: long term support relationship offered to care leavers to assist in findig their way through the system(s) and to offer continuity (mostly for care leavers living in residential care) • Youth seminars covering the issues identity, puberty and independence / separation from carers (especially for foster children)

The Care Leavers Project • Project Partners: IGfH - German Section of FICE and University of Hildesheim (Institute for Social and Organizational Pedagogy) • Subsidized by Stiftung Deutsche Jugendmarke e.V. (Youth Stamp Foundation Germany) • Running from January 2012 until December 2013 Project Aims: • to describe models of good practice for supporting adolescents and young adults in Germany who are leaving care (residential or foster care) in their transition to adulthood, • to discuss these models in the light of experiences made in Germany and abroad, • make the project findings available for use in pedagogical practice in the form of a workbook.

The Care Leavers ProjectProject Elements 2012: Research of models of good practice in Germany and other countries 2013: Transfer of findings into the practice of youth welfare Literature Research National Expert Workshops W O R K B O O K Analysis of key issues in Germany Research of good practice in Germany and abroad International Expert Workshop Interviews with practitioners

The Care Leavers Projectsome interview questions • When does – in your experience - the process of transition generally start and who initiates it? • How would a typical case in your practice look like? • Do you / does your agency work with a special model or concept to support the transition process or is there an „informal“ good practice when working with care leavers? • What are - in your opinion - criteria for a successfull transition process? • What role does the family, social workers etc. play in this process? • What are typical barriers, problems and challenges for a care leaver in your country?

Call for good practice models Please get in touch with us • if you / your agency / your youth welfare office has already developed services for supporting the transition of adolescents / young adults from residential or foster care or • if you know of such models in your country. Thank You !!! Please contact: Josef Koch, josef.koch@igfh.de Britta Sievers, britta.sievers@igfh.de

What happens after out-of-home care? Models of good practice for Care Leavers in Germany