To manage on one’s own after leaving care? A discussion of the concepts independence versus interdependence

Abstract

The language of research and practice is an interesting topic. When young people transit from care to adulthood, it is quite common to conceptualize this as a transition to independence. Life after the transition is by all means more independent for most of these young people than what they previously had experienced. However, the concept of independence might also lead us to misunderstand what type of life the young people are moving to, and which challenges they might face. Independence suggests that becoming an adult is an exercise of managing totally on one`s own. This is problematic, given the fact that most adults in a society are taking part in mutual exchanges in social networks. In exploring this and related issues theoretically, I will discuss the concepts of independence versus interdependence in relation to what happens when young people leave care. In concluding this paper, I suggest a number of ways for combining the perspectives of independence and interdependence in helping young people tackle the transition from care to adulthood.

Keywords:

• Leaving care
• independence
• interdependence
• young people
• child welfare

Notes

1. www.oxforddictionaries.com (Read 29.05.2017).

2. https://www.unicef.org/protection/alternative_care_Guidelines-English.pdf