Using Life Course Theory to Explore the Social and Developmental Pathways of Young People Leaving Care

The present paper uses life course theory to explore the move toward 'independent living' required of young people leaving care in England and Wales. Informal interview contact with 14 young people who had recently left care was maintained over a period of 12-18 months. Biographical stories constructed from field research are used to consider the social and developmental processes of the life course. The contextual analysis formalized within life course theory focused on the social timing and social construction of independence, revealing the way in which important 'invisibilities' may have social and developmental consequences for care leavers.