Care Leavers: From Institutional Care to Independent Living
Statistics show that young people who grow up in traditional families move out of their parents’ homes between the ages of 25 and 26. But young adults who leave out-of-home care as early as at the age of 18 face challenges for which they are ill prepared and which they must navigate alone – such as finding accommodation and employment, or pursuing education. These so-called care leavers lack a social safety net to help them navigate the transition from care to independent living. Having faced difficult living conditions from a young age, they are also at a disadvantage as they enter adulthood.
More years of education, starting a family at a later point and greater uncertainties delay the transition to independent living for young people overall. “But so far, the child and youth welfare system has not taken these facts into account,” notes Stephan Sting of the University of Klagenfurt. Sting, a professor of social pedagogy, has long studied child and youth welfare systems.
Young people in care facilities are often faced with a predetermined career path, leading to an apprenticeship and subsequent job. “But if they drop out of the apprenticeship or they change their mind at age 18 or 19 when the care relationship ends, things become highly complicated,” says Sting. International studies show that care leavers turn to their families precisely in such precarious situations, even if they have had negative experiences.
Care leavers grow up in the youth welfare system. In Austria at age 18, they suddenly find themselves completely on their own. Unlike others, they lack the support of a family environment. A research project has examined the role of family and social networks.
Study examines experiences with family
A Klagenfurt-based research team led by Stephan Sting endeavored to determine how family ties shape young people’s sense of belonging, identity formation, and social support during the difficult transition to independence. The researchers surveyed 41 young people aged 18 to 27 who grew up in care facilities and foster families. The study findings show that biological parents may often remain present in the lives of care leavers, but they rarely play a crucial role in their social network. Friends, siblings, or former caregivers are more important. “Siblings are actually the number one support when it comes to family,” says Stephan Sting. On the other hand, he notes that care facilities make it challenging for young people to maintain contact with important family members such as siblings or grandparents. Sting explains this with the system’s focus on parents, and specifically on mothers.
Normative role models of parenthood
The study highlights how traditional expectations of mothers and fathers are enshrined in the system, even though the notion of family is much broader. Mothers are more likely to be encouraged to stay in touch with their children, despite the fact that these relationships are often marked by conflict, ambivalence, and recurring cycles alternating between closeness and distance. Some care leavers reported that they felt pressured – both internally and by societal expectations – to maintain relationships with their mothers, even when these relationships were strained or damaging.
Fathers, on the other hand, are more frequently absent. Some are only involved to a very limited extend due to separation, starting new families, or restrictions during the child’s placement in foster care. In some cases, fathers maintained contact with their children despite formal contact bans and were perceived as important support figures.
The study authors conclude that deeply rooted societal expectations regarding motherhood and fatherhood influence both family dynamics and the practice of child and youth welfare systems. They argue that the system tends to place primary responsibility on mothers while overlooking the role of fathers – be that role positive or problematic.
Child and Youth Welfare in Austria
- For children and youngsters in care, state support ends at age 18.
- Approximately 3,000 young people (care leavers) lose their entitlement to care each year upon reaching their age of majority. Exact data are not available.
- While extensions until age 21 are possible, they are at the discretion of the authorities and are granted to differing extents by different regions.
- There are no uniform regulations under the Youth Welfare Act across Austria; jurisdiction lies with the Länder.
- There are few services for post-care support. Carinthia (care leaver contact points) and Vienna (vouchers for counselling) are launching first initiatives.
- Experts are calling for an extension of the entitlement to support, as is common in other EU countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, the “Corporate Parenting” model is established up to age 25.
Family is a relevant frame of reference
Stephan Sting calls for a broader understanding of “family” within child and youth welfare and advises moving beyond the traditional nuclear family. “It is essential to find out in advance, through dialogue with the young people, just who their significant support persons are, and to nurture and strengthen these relationships.” However, due to a lack of resources in the Austrian system, the work of professionals that includes the family is not established to the same extent throughout. The example of Peter, one of the study participants, shows that it would be really worthwhile. He reports about his relationship with his mother improving significantly after she received support from the care facility. “She was better able to cope with her challenges and was grateful for the support.”
Stephan Sting is convinced that working with families pays off, because “family ties are vital relationships for young people in care systems, because for them stable social relationships are generally a scarce commodity.” Especially during the transition to independent living, when questions of identity and belonging become central, family takes on special significance – not least because other support services are largely non-xistent in Austria.
(No) Return on Investment
In this context, Stephan Sting criticizes the lack of monitoring of care leavers. To date, there are no surveys tracking how these young people fare once they become independent. The expert sees this to be in stark contrast to the investments made in child and youth welfare prior to that phase. “These young people generally develop well and are highly motivated, and then they’re left to fend for themselves overnight.” It would be important to know how this group is faring in order to provide them with effective support and ease their transition into adulthood.
About the researcher
Stephan Sting is a professor of social pedagogy at the University of Klagenfurt. He acquired his Ph.D. and venia docendi at Freie Universität Berlin. He subsequently taught in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Zurich, and Graz. For several years, he has been conducting research specifically on educational opportunities for care leavers. The research project “Relevance of Family in the Transition from Care to Adulthood” (2022–2025) was awarded EUR 321,000 in funding from the Austrian Science Fund FWF.
Publications
Family relationships between normative orientations and lived diversity – experiences of care leavers with their mothers and fathers, in: Children and Youth Services Review 2025
Ambivalenzen von „Familie“. Erfahrungen von Care Leavers mit ihren biologischen Eltern, in: neue praxis 2025
