Providing Support for Young Care Leavers: A Pilot and Feasibility Study Comparing Two Recently Developed Interventions

Research repeatedly show that children and teens placed in out-of-home care experience disadvantage in virtually all health-related and socioeconomic outcomes compared to youth who do not have this experience. This disadvantage has been shown to persist into middle age. Internationally, few interventions have been identified as being effective in supporting this population in transition from out-of-home care to independent living. No transition services for this group are being systematically used in Sweden today and no such services have been tested for their effectiveness. As a response to the lack of consistent support for young care leavers in Sweden, two attempts to develop transition services have been developed during the past few years. “My Choice – My Way!“ (MCMW) is a research-based program delivered within the municipal social services in Sweden. The “Youth Program” (YP) is developed and delivered in Sweden by an international NGO.

The aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and client satisfaction of MCMW and the YP in addition to collecting care leavers self-reported pilot data regarding self-efficacy, resilience, routines, self-determination, social support, and help-seeking behavior. This poster will report on findings regarding service provider and service user experience of feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and client satisfaction, as analysis of self-reported pre-post data is still ongoing.

Youth were recruited to the study upon enrollment into one of the two programs. Youth level pilot data was collected and analyzed using a pre-test post-test study design. Youth participants completed a self-report instrument at two time-points, baseline (T1) and postintervention (T2). At T2 (8 months post T1) the instrument also included questions regarding client satisfaction. Service providers working with the delivery of the two programs were asked to complete a weekly questionnaire including measurements on feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness which are considered key implementation drivers.

Service deliverers’ opinion regarding implementation-related measures was generally high for both programs, although some components were considered less appropriate, acceptable, and feasible than others. Client satisfaction was generally high for both groups of youth. This indicates that both MCMW and YP are appreciated programs as assessed by service providers and service users alike.

Positive results on feasibility and client satisfaction encourage further research regarding program effectiveness on short term and long-term outcomes of both programs.