Taking Responsibility for the Provision of Financial, Housing, and Emotional Support for Young People Leaving Care

Abstract

This article explores the financial, housing, and emotional support provided to 16–19 year old care leavers, studying in further education in England. Drawing on 28 interviews with social workers and further education college professionals the article discusses the accessibility of existing provision in England, with a particular focus on the relationships and collaborative working practices between further education professionals and social work teams. The article argues that despite the individual commitment of further education professionals, the level of support they provide is, in the main, sketchy, reactive, and under-resourced. Given the significant austerity measures implemented by the Conservative–Liberal Coalition government, it is now all the more important for both education and social services to adopt a more collaborative interagency approach in order for them to address the complex problems experienced by care leavers studying in further education.

本文从财政、住房以及情感角度探讨了16到19岁结束抚养并在英国接受继续教育的青少年获得支持的问题。本文根据对社会工作者和继续教育学院专业人士的28次访谈，讨论了目前英国有关服务获得的难易，特别关注了继续教育专业人士与社会工作团队之间的关系以及协作实践。作者认为，继续教育专业人士中虽不乏尽职尽责的个人，但支持的水平大体说来尚属浅表、被动且资源不足。鉴于保守党—自由党联合政府实施的紧缩措施，眼下就更需要教育及社会服务方面进行跨部门协作，以解决结束抚养者在继续教育中遇到的复杂问题。

Keywords:

• Education
• Housing
• International Social Work
• Out-of-home Care
• Social Inclusion
• Social Services