An Exploration of the Educational Experiences of Children and Young People in Care and the Pathway Planning Experiences of Young People Leaving Care

The educational outcomes of children and young people in care (CYPIC) are lower than those not in care.

Young people leaving care (YPLC) are less likely to go on to further education and are at risk of poorer life outcomes than most young people transitioning to adulthood.

A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the educational experiences of CYPIC in the UK.

A total of eleven studies were reviewed, incorporating the views of 203 CYPIC. A process of thematic synthesis was used to illuminate the facilitators and barriers to CYPIC's educational attainment, and four themes were identified:

• impact of care
• support
• quality of relationships
• agency

The limitations of the synthesis are discussed as well as the implications for improvements in service delivery for CYPIC.

The empirical study aimed to address a research gap by eliciting YPLC's views of their pathway planning support.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants (17 to 21) who had recently participated in a PATH (Pearpoint, O'Brien and Forrest, 1993).

Through a process of inductive Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and member checking, three superordinate themes were identified:

• autonomy over the future
• experiences of relatedness in the pathway planning process
• impact of PATH

The findings indicate that YPLC's needs for agency and self-determination influenced their perceptions of, and engagement in, the planning process.

PATH could be a useful tool in facilitating future planning for YPLC when its use is sensitive, flexible and timely, and conducted in the context of positive relationships.

The broader implications for better supporting the transitions of YPLC are discussed.