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Investigating the Lived Experience of Late Adoption from Long-Term care

using a lens of youth transitions.


Yes, because in Ireland children tend …It means that when those … and adoption is their route out of care and it
Sounds like Ireland has quite a to be over 16 years old when they young people are adopted their happens during their transitions to adulthood
unique system of late adoption are adopted, and they are adopted by legal status changes but not
from long-term care their own long term foster carers it their practical circumstances. Great! It would be really
does lead to a set of unique They still live within the same, interesting to see how being
circumstances… home, community and family adopted impacts these young
people in early adulthood

This Irish system creates the ideal laboratory from which to Applying the lens of transitions will allow me to dig deeper:
ask my research questions: Young adults adopted late from care in Ireland experience the transition
from care to adoption while undergoing other youth transitions.
1) What is the Lived Experience of being adopted late from stable foster care
2) Does being adopted late carry symbolic meaning? Does this additional transition experience have an impact upon
3) How does late adoption from within a stable placement other youth transitions?
impact young adults experiences of youth transitions

Why the lens of Transitions is Relevant to this study

Transition to Adulthood
All young adults experience transitions to
adulthood in areas such as housing,
education, relationships and work. (Cielsik and
Sampson, 2013,
Understanding how the
The young adults
Transition out of care transition to being adopted
participating in this interacts with the other
Research suggests that the transition from Potentially
study will have care to independence can be problematic transitions will help shine new
(Stein,2012) reveal symbolic
experienced a meaning light on the meaning being
range of transitions Transition to being Adopted adopted holds for these young
adults
The young people in this study transition to
being adopted within the family where they
have grown up as a foster child. Potentially
being adopted late as a route out of care acts
as a protective factor.

Potential Contribution through applying lens of transitions:


1. Provide lived experience accounts of late adoption from stable long-term care, gaining insight into if and how being adopted late impacts upon their lived
experiences of other youth transitions..
2. Contribute to our understanding of how young adults process the transition from care status to adopted status in their late teenage years.
3. Contribute to our understanding about the potential impact of adoption as a pathway supporting the transition from care to independence.
4. Apply new theoretical perspective of transitions to this issue, revealing the potential symbolic meaning young adults attach to being adopted late.

Study Design Next Steps:


1. Seek ethical approval from my university and from Tusla, The
Child and Family Agency responsible for child welfare in Ireland.
Qualitative
Study
Sample
Lived
Experience
Life History
Perspective
Analysis of
Findings
2. Continue Literature Review.
3. Convene and Advisory Committee.
4. Commence Recruitment and Data Collection.

Contact Details Selected References Key Considerations &


• Biehal, N., (2012). A sense of belonging: Meanings of family and home in long-term foster care. British Journal of Social Work, 44(4), pp.955-971. Challenges
• Dance, C., & Rushton, A. (2005). Joining a new family: the views and experiences of young people placed with permanent families during middle childhood. Adoption & Fostering, 29(1), 18-28.
Sinéad Whiting
• Gilligan, R. (2018) Resilience, Transitions and Leaving Care Chapter 4 in, editor(s) Varda Mann-Feder & Martin Goyette , Leaving Care and the Transition to Adulthood: International Contributions to Theory,
PhD Researcher with practice experience 1. Engaging Stakeholders
Research and Practice, New York, Oxford University Press
• Ojermark, A. (2007). Presenting Life Histories: a literature review and annotated bibliography.
@sineadwhiting 2. Recruitment
• Paulsen, V. and Thomas, N., 2017. The transition to adulthood from care as a struggle for recognition. Child & Family Social Work.
• Stein, M. (2012). Young people leaving care: Supporting pathways to adulthood. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
whitings@tcd.ie
• Storø, J. (2017). Which transition concept is useful for describing the process of young people leaving state care? A reflection on research and language. European Journal of Social Work, 20(5), 770–781.
• Triseliotis, J., 2002. Long‐term foster care or adoption? The evidence examined. Child & Family Social Work, 7(1), pp.23-33.
• Warming, H., 2015. The life of children in care in Denmark: A struggle over recognition. Childhood, 22(2), pp.248-262.

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