formal support. The study took place between 2003 and 2006, which was shortly
after the implementation of the Children Leaving Care Act (CLCA) 2000.
Multiple methods were used to collect and analyse the data obtained for
the study: a literature review focusing on studies since 1990 on care leavers and
service use, secondary analysis of a number of large scale national data sets to
review how young people in the general population use services, interviews with
a sample of 80 care leavers aged 17-24, and 59 young people in difficulty aged
16-29, and interviews with 29 managers of leaving care, housing, health and
employment services.
Recruitment of most of the care leavers (54/80) came from four
geographically contrasting ‘case study areas’: a metropolitan authority in the
North-East, a shire county in the North-West, an inner London authority and a
unitary authority in a Southern county. Forty-six were recruited in these areas
through social service leaving care teams, and eight during the process of
recruiting the other young people in difficulty. The remaining 26 care leavers
were recruited from other local authorities around the country who were
contacted for participation in this study but produced so few young people that
they could not be designated a case study area. To achieve a sample size of 80
care leavers, recruitment took place almost two years ahead of when the
interviews were carried out (in 2004). Leaving care teams were asked to produce
names of young people who would be willing to participate in this research study
who were aged at least 15 years in 2002 and available for interview two years
later (by which time the youngest interviewees would be 17 years old). Contact