Leaving Care in the UK and Scandinavia

In both the UK and Scandinavia, young people leaving care have traditionally experienced accelerated and compressed transition pathways, without access to the levels of practical, financial and emotional support that are typically available to their peers in the general population. Heightened awareness that young people leaving care are vulnerable to poor outcomes has led academics and (to varying degrees) the charitable sector and politicians to consider (and, in some cases, implement) changes designed to meet their needs, or promote their rights. The chapter draws on Pinkerton’s (States of care leaving. Towards international exchange as a global resource. In: Stein M, Munro E (eds) Young people’s transitions from care to adulthood: international comparisons and perspectives. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, p 241-257, 2008) model for international comparison, to investigate the dynamics of leaving care policy, and implications for young people leaving out-of-home care in contrasting welfare regimes (Liberal/UK and Social Democratic/Scandinavia).