Part 25  Changing with follow-up

In my research data, several young people are portrayed who feel that they are left with nothing, or are left on their own, when they move to their own flat. Also, youth over 18 who are recovering from substance abuse consider it important for youth transitioning from out-of-home care, as well as for themselves, to have social networks and meaningful occupation when they move to live on their own. When I asked the youhs at the residential community what tips they would give me to develop transitioning from out-of-home care, they gave the following answers:

’Probably that you’ve built that ability to do things and that you have some hobbies, so it’s not possible to get stuck at home. And then that you have friends and support network, somehow have managed to build your life before leaving. If you leave treatment just like that, it will hit a wall when you don’t have the courage to look for those hobbies or to go anywhere alone. So it’s quite important.’

’When I’ve been using there have been many who have been in out-of-home care and then done a so-called runner or taken off, however … I know one who got a transition flat and so on, but I don’t know how it like works there but it sounds really rough, that you’re just thrown like that, having some support person, and it’s up to you whether you use it or not. So the transition flat could be some K-tie type kind of community thing.’

 The youths’ comments signal that those undergoing transition should not be just left on their own, but someone should show an interest in what they are doing. They could do with a community to support them.

’Like from my own perspective, that there’s some kind of social network, that there are people around you. That’s like the most important thing from this and also from the perspective of my own life. That you’re not suddenly there just on you own. You may have those mechanical skills, you can cook and clean and so on. I’ve learned as child or adolescent. But then if you’re just thrown out and you don’t have people around you, then I don’t know how you can there …”

Voluntary aftercare is not appealing to young people who have waited for a long time to get to leave out-of-home care. They may have bitter experiences, and they may want nothing to do with substitute families, institutional workers or social workers.  Experiences and thoughts on this vary, as some of the young people feel that it is their privilege and are satisfied with aftercare and the services they have received, as well as the people involved. In the emotional landscapes of the youths I interviewed as they were recovering from substance abuse, those whose situations were at the more difficult end of the spectrum were probably most visible. This kind of information is important, despite being indirect, as we usually get less information about the situations of youth in the most difficult positions.

Youth: All my close friends have been in placement. It just comes to mind that I’ve seen it with all of them, when they have that transition phase it fails exactly because of that, when there’s no one any more to take care and there’s no longer that same relationship with your own parents or there isn’t necessarily any relationship at all, or if there is, it’s not the same when you’ve been in some institution. There’s no one you can ask for help. And then they are always left all alone. When it’s still not or the workers, professionals, are not their own parents. They feel like they’re alone. They’re still really young at that point. Like they know nothing at all about life. And if they have any problems, like everybody that I know, they’ve had some problems with drugs or alcohol, then they’re too embarrassed to say anything about it to anyone. Or they especially don’t know who to ask for help with that. They can ask for help with all the things to do with the flat, but not ask help for a real problem.

Maritta: When you’ve looked at your friends, what do you think would have supported them?

Youth: If I think about one friend of mine for example, he had a situation where he was alone and he had a serious alcohol problem and a drug problem also. They tried to call him a few times and then he cancelled those appointments when he should have gone to talk about those issues. That was at the stage when he didn’t have a flat yet but he had been released from the institution, because he had turned 18. Then on that third time, when he didn’t turn up, then he was just forgotten and no one contacted him anymore. Like if someone really put some effort into starting it off. Of course that person who has a substance abuse problem tries to skive from everything. It’s not quite right either that you’d have to keep chasing them, but you should keep chasing. Somebody should take care that they don’t just disappear when they turn 18.