Goodbye Child and Youth Welfare System!
A Regional Study on the Design of the Transition into the Life Phase of Autonomy and Personal Responsibility

This research project is dedicated to young people and young adults who, due to various factors, cannot fall back on family resources and therefore have to master the transition to an independent adult life within the framework of full education in socio-educational institutions. One the one hand, this means that they have to find a balance between coping with development-related challenges and not having an adequate family network. On the other hand, however, they also have to cope with the burden that the step into adulthood and the associated departure from child an youth welfare often entails.

By means of qualitative content analysis according to Mayring, 15 expert interviews and 12 narrative interviews with young adults were evaluated and consequently the research question was answered as to which professional courses of action on the part of the social pedagogues are decisive in shaping the transition to the forthcoming independence of adolescents and young adults in order to be able to cope with the independent adult life in a sustainable and positive way.

On the basis of the results it can be shown that on the part of the social pedagogues there is a need for various professional courses of action on the part of the social pedagogues in the areas of securing their existence, training and occupation, biopsychosocial health and social affairs in order to positively influence the transition to independence for young people and young adults. The area of housing is of particular importance, as it symbolizes both the beginning of independence and the end of full education. From the results it can be concluded that a timely start is essential.