The project consisted of participatory action research with young adults with experience of leaving care and a broader research team including academics from the Host University and practitioners from a case study local authority. Alongside the project a related training programme consisting of internal mentorship and placements with specialist organisations in Finland and England ensured the career development of Professor Törrönen. A related publication and presentation plan ensured that the results from the research were regularly disseminated to academics, practitioners and young adults with care experiences.
The main finding of the project is that the young adults in the study stressed the continuity of social connections that create a sense of belonging and connectedness. It means that young adults can establish secure attachments and their sense of stability and self-worth that lie behind their perception of belonging.
Young people need a personal mix of interdependence and independence which are supported by education, employment or a meaningful activity with good enough finances to reach stability in their life when they are leaving care. ‘Emotional participation’ has as its heart the continuity of social relationships and emotional connectedness. These make possible an individual’s attachment to a community and his or her involvement in processes that are significant for the community.
To support young adults’ reciprocal emotional participation there is need for first, to reconstruct social care work orientation, second, support psychosocial status of young adults and third, make gradual transition from care a possibility. We recommend that policy makers and services adopt a community orientation which is based on the understanding of holistic living circumstances and life-long social networks. Also, special attention is given to young adults’ education, employment or a meaningful activity and financial security but also to the support of their mental well-being especially if the young adult has mental difficulties or has substance abuse issues. Gradual transition means possibilities for young adults to leave care when they feel ready to leave, but also opportunities to postpone their staying until they are 25 years old, following the English age limit. Gradual transition means also that it is possible for young adults to remain in contact with their former caregivers. Peer support is also recommended both during and after care to ensure young adults do not feel alone in their experience.
A training package was designed to increase Törrönen’s knowledge about: the different welfare contexts for young adults in the UK and Finland; new directions in participatory research with young adults and the translation of research into policy and practice guidance. In terms of broadening Törrönen’s expertise in welfare contexts and translation of research into policy and practice there was a built-in secondment in Finland and three placements in England focused on strategies to translate research into national and EU policy and to enhance Törrönen’s participatory research knowledge. The knowledge and skills developed during these periods assisted in ensuring that the final guidelines produced from the project are grounded in up-to-date policy contexts and relevant to teaching, consulting and research.
