Care Leaving and the Transition Jungle in Germany

Abstract

This chapter presents the situation of care leavers in Germany within a so-called transition jungle and illustrates the difficulties of transitioning of young adults from residential care to independent living, focusing especially on education and access to vocational training and employment. Leaving care can be understood as a status passage in young people’s lives, during which the public welfare system produces accelerated transitions into adult life. This acceleration restricts the space and time available for individual transitions and processes of development, especially in the transition to work. The chapter will also outline two models of good practice and describe how care leavers can be supported within their transition to vocational training and work.