French care leavers overcoming the odds
13 January 2012
A long-term follow-up study of adults raised in a particular type of foster care known as SOS children’s villages reveals some interesting trends in typical pathways for young people after leaving care in the largest country in Western Europe - France.
SOS children’s villages operate internationally and currently serve 600 children and adolescents in France alone. Children’s villages comprise a community of caregivers known as ‘SOS mothers’ who foster children and sibling groups. They provide long-term placements in family units and work closely with family helpers, case workers and psychologists. SOS also provide a host of other care services including job training, informal housing and job support, transitional apartments and residential accomodation.
The research study, involving 123 adults who had spent at least three years in a children’s village placement, revealed that the majority transitioned out of care and into independence without major difficulties, many of them by their mid-twenties.