Competence Centre Leaving Care

Youth care, which arranges the placement of young people in homes and foster families, usually ends at the age of 18. The young people are then adults and as so-called care leavers they are responsible for themselves. Some homes support care leavers on a case-by-case basis after leaving and advise them on finding accommodation or on health, financial or social matters, but to date there is no systematic support in Switzerland for young people after they leave youth care services. The Competence Centre Leaving Care aims to give care leavers in Switzerland access to support during their transition to becoming independent individuals. It supports homes and foster-care institutions in developing concrete proposals for transitional support and provides knowledge on the topic. It serves as a platform for recognising the concerns and needs of care leavers. It creates a network for relevant stakeholders, and at the political level it promotes the recognition of care leavers’ needs and the public financing of corresponding services. The project builds on a previous Drosos Foundation project which successfully developed and sustainably anchored a model for voluntary and easily accessible transitional support.