(YOU GOTTA HAVE) FRIENDS: CARE LEAVING, FRIENDSHIPS, AND AGENCY INTERVENTION

Abstract

This article is based on a presentation at FICE Austria in 2016 that reported on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the perceptions of friendships held by young people in and formerly in care. Eleven young people from the care system and three frontline child and youth care workers were interviewed with a focus on the effects of out-of-home placement on the development of peer relationships. Results suggest that there are significant obstacles to the development of age-appropriate friendships both within the care system and between youth in care and their community peers. These findings are discussed in light of the evidence that friendships are critical for healthy development and can serve as a buffer against stigma for youth who have been placed in out-of-home care. The study reported here is part of a larger program of research, the goal of which is to identify protective mechanisms or developmental assets in the transition to adulthood that could be better cultivated for youth aging out of placement.

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