Anticipating the future while ageing out of care

– A meta-analysis

Abstract

The transition from care to independent living as an adult is difficult and associated with many setbacks and refusals during the transition, resulting in a high risk of unemployment and a low level of education. There is still a lack of knowledge about what creates these disappointing results and how young people alternate between accumulated memories of the past and fragmented ideas about the future. Systematic literature searches were conducted, and relevant themes were identified in 39 studies. Under the first theme, problems are identified in the balance between dependence and independence. The second theme identifies the struggle for an independent life with the realisation of dreams and aspirations. The transition is described as a period when ambivalent emotions can hamper a future-oriented narrative, supported by a placement system that only focuses to a limited extent on young people’s own reflections on the future.