http://www.crin.org/docs/Ageingoutofcare_PDF.pdf

Information on care leavers and their situations is very limited.  In an effort to close this informational gap and provide a foundation for decision makers, SOS Children’s Villages has put together an unprecedented review of the circumstances under which young people leave alternative care in Europe and Central Asia. The report is the main publication of the I Matter campaign, and highlights personal, social, legal, and administrative challenges facing care leavers.  It also identifies weaknesses in legislation and practice, and provides targeted recommendations.

The report consists of 13 country reviews, from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, the Russian Federation, and Uzbekistan.  It also includes first hand accounts from young people, and a conclusion written by Mike Stein, renowned research professor in the field of leaving care.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the study reveals that in the countries under review, the process of preparation to leave care and the subsequent transition into adulthood is chronically flawed.  Recurring themes emerge across national boundaries, such as difficulties to find housing, gaps in coverage, risk of abuse, and emotional hardships of young people.  These findings highlight the importance of deinstitutionalization efforts, national standards, and the dissemination of good practice. 

It is clear, from the evidence in the report, that young care leavers in Europe and Central Asia today face often insurmountable problems.  Even though a few European countries have initiated measures to improve the situation for these young people ageing out of care, further action is urgently required. 

Further Information: 

• Children without Parental Care: Preparation for Independent Living (briefing paper 2 - 'I Matter') [SOS Kinderdorf, May 2010] 
• Scotland: Sweet 16? one year on - is life any sweeter? A call to action [Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, March 2009] 

Previous Publication (general) items

• 09/12/2010: CRIN: CRINMAIL 1198-Arabic
• 08/12/2010: EDITORIAL: Child Domestic Workers - The dawn of a new Convention? (Russian)
• 08/12/2010: CRIN: CRINMAIL 1197-Arabic
• 08/12/2010: UNITED NATIONS: The Dublin Statement on the Process of Strengthening of the UN Human Rights Treaty Body System - Response by NGOs
• 08/12/2010: HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 2010: Children's rights defenders

Organisation Contact Details:

SOS Children's Villages International
Liaison and Advocacy
Brigittenauer Lände 50
1200 Vienna / Austria
Tel: Tel.: +43 1 3682457 2512
Email: lao@sos-kd.org
Website: www.sos-childrensvillages.org

Last updated 26/01/2011 02:59:13

Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.