IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/socinc/v13y2025a10586.html

Foster Carers’ Perspective on Financial Issues When Young People Leave Care

Author

Listed:
  • Ingrid Höjer

    (Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg, Sweden)

  • Inger Oterholm

    (Faculty of Social Studies, VID Specialised University, Norway)

Abstract

Foster care can be defined as a professional assignment that emphasises the importance of family‐like relationships. The paradox in foster care lies in the tension between the professional perspective, where remuneration is provided for the care given, and the familial perspective, where care involves close family relationships. There is limited knowledge about how foster carers understand their assignment in terms of financial support and future family relationships when young people age out of care. The aim of this article is to explore foster carers’ understanding of their responsibilities regarding young people’s financial support after leaving care, and how foster carers view their role in relation to child welfare services (CWS) during the aftercare period: 35 foster carers from 27 foster homes in Norway and Sweden were interviewed. All interviewed carers agreed that young people leaving care need support and advice regarding financial matters. Most carers continued to support young people after they exited care—even when the remuneration for the fostering assignment was uncertain or had ended. These efforts were closely linked to familial relationships and family practices within the foster family. However, carers also expressed uncertainty and ambivalence regarding financial support, often due to a lack of assistance from CWS and/or limitations in their own ability to continue supporting the young person. Thus, CWS must take a more active and engaged role in providing financial advice and support to young people as they leave care, as well as continued support to foster carers.

Suggested Citation

  • Ingrid Höjer & Inger Oterholm, 2025. "Foster Carers’ Perspective on Financial Issues When Young People Leave Care," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 13.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v13:y:2025:a:10586
    DOI: 10.17645/si.10586
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/10586
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/si.10586?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marinescu, Ioana & Tan, Fei & Greeson, Johanna K.P., 2023. "Economic conditions and the number of children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    2. Gypen, Laura & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & De Maeyer, Skrallan & Belenger, Laurence & Van Holen, Frank, 2017. "Outcomes of children who grew up in foster care: Systematic-review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 74-83.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Taylor, David & Roberts, Jessica & Rose, Vanessa & Gyani, Alex & Shlonsky, Aron, 2025. "Examining the impact of an accommodation and support intervention in reducing homelessness amongst care leavers in Australia: A hybrid type-1 implementation-effectiveness study using propensity score methods," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    2. Simmons-Horton, Sherri Y., 2017. "Providing age-appropriate activities for youth in foster care: Policy implementation process in three states," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 383-391.
    3. Hébert, Sophie T. & Esposito, Tonino & Hélie, Sonia, 2018. "How short-term placements affect placement trajectories: A propensity-weighted analysis of re-entry into care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 117-124.
    4. Stanborough, Manisha Abayakoon & Stanborough, Mikaela & Berger, Emily & Warren, Jessica & Allen, Kelly-Ann & Leif, Erin, 2025. "A scoping review of the program components, practice components, and outcomes of behaviour support programs delivered to children and young people in out-of-home care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Fred Wulczyn & Xiaomeng Zhou & Jamie McClanahan & Scott Huhr & Kristen Hislop & Forrest Moore & Emily Rhodes, 2023. "Race, Poverty, and Foster Care Placement in the United States: Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Perspectives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-19, August.
    6. Sting, Stephan & Stohler, Renate & Brady, Eavan & Gilligan, Robbie & Werner, Karin, 2025. "Barriers to the educational progress of care leavers: The neglected role of stigma?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    7. Bengtsson, Mattias & Sjöblom, Yvonne & Öberg, Peter, 2020. "Transitional patterns when leaving care – Care leavers’ agency in a longitudinal perspective," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    8. Brännström, Lars & Karlsson, Henrik & Vinnerljung, Bo & Hjern, Anders, 2018. "Childhood risk factors for disability pension among adult former Swedish child welfare clients: Same or different as for majority population peers?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 94-102.
    9. Blakeslee, Jennifer E. & Best, Jared I., 2019. "Understanding support network capacity during the transition from foster care: Youth-identified barriers, facilitators, and enhancement strategies," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 220-230.
    10. Michael Starr & Reinie Cordier & Eduwin Pakpahan & Matthew Robinson & Renée Speyer & Donna Chung, 2024. "Understanding how young people transitioning from out-of-home care acquire and develop independent living skills and knowledge: A systematic review of longitudinal studies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(6), pages 1-23, June.
    11. Malin, Maili & Miettinen, Janissa & Joubert, Natalie & Batbaatar, Enkhjargal & Anand, Janet, 2024. "Educational and employment outcomes for young adults with a history of immigration and out of home care in Finland," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    12. Peplow, Sally & Donnellan, Warren & Christiansen, Paul, 2025. "A retrospective exploration of care experiences shaping the mental health trajectories of children and young people in Care: Part 1 – The system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    13. Federica Gullo & Laura García-Alba & Amaia Bravo & Jorge F. del Valle, 2021. "Crossing Countries and Crossing Ages: The Difficult Transition to Adulthood of Unaccompanied Migrant Care Leavers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-14, June.
    14. Ervin, Amanda & Odekina, Hannah & Dirk, Anika & Salehi-Shahrabi, Fatemeh & Luck, Chloe & Greenshields, Mary & Victor, Janice M., 2026. "The indigenous child welfare system and transitions to independence: a scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    15. Collins, Cyleste C. & Bai, Rong & Fischer, Robert & Crampton, David & Lalich, Nina & Liu, Chun & Chan, Tsui, 2020. "Housing instability and child welfare: Examining the delivery of innovative services in the context of a randomized controlled trial," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    16. Stone, Katie J. & Muentner, Luke & Lundgren, Brianna & Shlafer, Rebecca J., 2025. "School-Based Outcomes, Post-Graduation Plans and Adult Support among Youth who have been in Foster Care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    17. Orri, Massimiliano & Côté, Sylvana M. & Marttila, Mikko & Ristikari, Tiina, 2021. "Childhood out-of-home placement and pathways to adult socioeconomic outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    18. Alfano, Candice A., 2020. "Foster agency workers’ perceptions of sleep health among children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    19. Miranda, Alejandra & Rodriguez, Michael C., 2023. "Are bullying experiences and developmental assets associated with education outcomes for youth in foster care?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    20. Koponen, Anne M. & Nissinen, Niina-Maria & Gissler, Mika & Kahila, Hanna & Autti-Rämö, Ilona & Sarkola, Taisto, 2022. "Out-of-home care and diagnosed mental and behavioral disorders among youth with and without prenatal substance exposure – A longitudinal register-based cohort study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v13:y:2025:a:10586. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.