Please note that there are two different conference venues: June 14/15 - Century City Conference Centre June 16 - Kirstenbosch Conference Centre (transportation available)
Abstract Young Women’s Journey towards Successful Independent Living after Leaving Residential Care Presenter: Joyce Hlungwani (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) Introduction: The transition to independent living is a challenging phase for youths who grow up in residential care. In South Africa, support services are limited, increasing these young people’s vulnerability. This paper presents qualitative findings of the resilience processes of young women who have left residential care in South Africa. Methods: Nine young women, aged 21 years and above, who had disengaged from the care of different children’s homes four or more years prior to the research were purposively sampled for the study. Grounded theory methods were used to analyse the data and gain insights into the social-ecological resilience processes that facilitate successful journeying towards independent living. With the resilience perspective as a theoretical lens, this paper presents the processes which the young women actively engage in, that appear to be central in facilitating a successful journey towards independent living. Findings/implications: It is hoped that this research will contribute to the body of literature on women leaving care and give insight into the resiliece enhancing processes that enable young women leaving care to achieve success as they journey towards independence despite the disadvantaged position of women in society.
