Care leavers' transitions to adulthood in the context of Covid-19: Understanding pathways, experiences and outcomes to improve policy and practice

看护离开者通常在16-18岁时离开他们的寄养家庭或住宿安置，一旦他们离开，就不一定能像普通人群中的同龄人那样得到那么多的实际、情感或家庭支持。研究表明，离开护理中心的年轻人在这个时候会感到孤立和被抛弃，他们很容易受到贫穷、无家可归、精神疾病和失业等不良后果的影响。Covid-19对健康、社会和经济的影响加剧了他们在人生的一个阶段可能面临的挑战，即使在最好的情况下，这个阶段也可能很困难。该研究将分析约900名护理人员的定量数据，并对儿童服务和卫生部门的高级和业务经理（在两个时间点）对约50名护理人员及其主要工作人员进行深入访谈，以了解Covid-19对年轻人从护理过渡的时间、年轻人的去向（“过渡途径”）、他们获得的服务和支持以及他们的情况产生的影响。我们将特别着重了解这一大流行病对离开照护者的健康和福祉造成的影响，以及他们获得的主流和专业保健服务的优势和局限性。然后，我们将与护理人员和专业人员合作，为政策制定者制定建议和工具，以支持最佳做法。

Care leavers typically leave their foster homes or residential placements at 16-18 years and cannot necessarily rely on receiving as much practical, emotional or family support, once they have moved, as their peers in the general population. Research shows that young people leaving care can feel isolated and abandoned at this time and that they are vulnerable to poor outcomes including poverty, homelessness, mental ill-health and unemployment. The health, social and economic impacts of Covid-19 heighten the challenges they are likely to face at a stage of life that can be difficult in the best of circumstances. The study will involve analysis of quantitative data on around 900 care leavers and in-depth interviews with senior and operational managers from children's services and health on around 50 care leavers and their key workers, (at two time points), to inform understanding of the impact that the Covid-19 has had on the timing of young people's transitions from care, where young people go ('transition pathways'), what services and support they receive, and how they fare. In particular we will focus on understanding the impact that the pandemic has had on the health and wellbeing of care leavers and the strengths and limitations of the mainstream and specialist health services they receive. We will then work together with care leavers and professionals to develop recommendations for policy makers and tools to support best practice.