Big plans: the tensions of planning for leaving out of home state care

Young people leaving state care face high risks of social and economic marginalization. Leaving care plans are an important and understudied strategy for minimizing these risks. However there is surprisingly limited information on how young people experience the planning process and its outcomes. In this paper we explore these experiences, drawing upon interview data with 77 care leavers. We argue that the logic of the system de-contextualizes the experiences and needs of care leavers. It is premised simultaneously on an individualistic understanding of young people’s lives and a de-personalized approach to care. We conclude that a more effective system will not respond to immediate institutional imperatives of transitioning young people, but rather will be referenced to an alternative focus on the sustained and holistic development of psycho-social resources for young people.