This chapter examines the economic security of young people with and without disabilities leaving state care as they reach adulthood. Chapter Four outlined the policies about transition to adulthood, which highlighted the policy gaps, including the age and conditions when the state might cease support to young people in state care. This chapter continues that analysis to examine the effect of the scarce policies, including the impact on the economic independence of the young people. It uses examples of the experiences of the young people in the research to examine the various paths towards economic independence or the reasons that these paths might be blocked. Some of these reasons were due to the exclusionary childhood experiences in state care. Other reasons were due to the inadequate responses to their needs and preferences in this transition stage of their young adult lives, which had the effect of continuing to exclude them from the economic and social opportunities expected of other young people. In the worst cases, irrespective of their personal capacity, it would seem unlikely that some of these young people will ever leave state care, suspending them in the status of never becoming independent adults.

This part of the research examined whether socio-economic outcomes were different for young people who had foster care or institutional care. It applies the social inclusion framework to examine how the form of state care affected the facilitators of social inclusion in their transition to adulthood and the impact of the facilitators on their economic outcomes. The facilitators considered were social contact and the use of education, health and disability support services. The outcomes are educational achievement, economic security and activity, housing, and social networks. The chapter focuses on how the children and young people in state care seek an economically independent life when they have grown up into adulthood: how do they live their life? Can they earn their own living?

The chapter is based on qualitative analysis of the field investigation in the four research areas described in Chapter One. These areas are capital cities in economically developed or moderately developed regions. The 54 young people were aged 16–38 years (see Appendix 1).