Study of young people’s access to independence

  ... a Longitudinal Study of Young People’s Leaving Care

ELAP is a study on the living conditions, preparation and access to autonomy of young people in Child Welfare (ASE) care, as well as their future and their conditions of exit from the support system.

This study was conducted in 4 stages:

• In 2013-2014, more than 1,600 young people aged between 17 and 20 years old and placed in child welfare care have already answered a questionnaire on their living conditions and plans.
• In 2015, 18 months later, a sub-sample of the first wave responded to a second questionnaire. These were 17-year-olds in wave 1 (to find out the characteristics of young people who have continued under a ’young adult contract’ and who are those who leave. And all the young people who were between 19.5 and 20 years old who had reached 21 years old when the second questionnaire was collected. 756 young people completed this questionnaire, which covered their employment situation, financial resources, housing, family and friends, access to healthcare and leaving conditions.
• In 2016-2017: A group of researchers conducted interviews with 107 young people who responded to the first two quantitative waves. A common part of the interview guide allows for the continuation of the knowledge of the evolution of their future. Depending on the researchers’ concerns, several themes are developed, such as early exit, entry into conjugality and parenthood, access to social housing, the participation and commitment of young people in care, the entrusting of children to their extended family and friends, etc. The interviews were carried out by a group of researchers.
• In 2018-2019, a final wave of interviews was conducted with the same young people who responded the previous year. They were between 22 and 24 years old. The aim was to update their social and family situation and to develop new themes. The issue of orphanage, which affects one in three young people, was the subject of particular development.

In order to gain a better understanding of the end of the child protection process, an analysis was conducted with the databases of the survey ’Departments’. This data was collected between 2014 and 2018. With this part of the study, we will know the age of young people leave care in each French Department of the survey.

If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following address: elap@ined.fr

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