Care Leavers: 10 years on, A Narrative Rapid Review

Abstract

International literature has demonstrated both the strengths of care experienced young people and adults and the marginalisation and disadvantage that they may face on their journeys through and out of the care system. Much of this literature has focused on young people in care, or on the leaving care transition, and not enough is known about the implications of care experiences as adult lives unfold over time, and the factors, events and experiences that influence differing trajectories and outcomes. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth (DCEDIY) has commissioned a study that, for the first time in Ireland, addresses this critical knowledge gap: generating robust, in-depth evidence about the lives of those who have left care and transitioned to adulthood in the Irish context, and specifically in the aftermath of the Ryan Report (2009). This narrative rapid review has been conducted to inform the scope and design of that new research study1, entitled ‘Care Leavers – 10 Years On’. Spanning Irish and international literature, the review has been designed to capture and synthesise learning from relevant studies involving care experienced adults aged 25 and above. The aims of the review were both substantive and methodological: 1. To document key learning and gaps in the international knowledge base; the review was designed to inform the identification of core topics for exploration with research participants (care experienced people and nominated adults in their networks). 2. Drawing on this existing research, we sought to inform the methodological approach used for planned qualitative research with care experienced adults, and particularly, to highlight critical ethical and methodological considerations for the research design and implementation. 3. Finally, an aligned aim of the review was to derive wider messages from the research that could be of value for research, policy and practice development in the field, both in Ireland and internationally.