The Irish Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, reporting in 2009 and quoted above, documented shocking levels of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect, and ‘the failure to provide for [children’s] safety, education, development and aftercare had implications for their health, employment, social and economic status in later life’. The Commission was a landmark inquiry that provided opportunities for thousands of Irish people who had grown up in care to present an account of their childhood experiences and the impact that it had on their lives. Similar testimonies have been heard in each of the countries where inquiries have been held. These public inquiries have been important in providing evidence about the aftermath of care and the need for support from the perspectives of adult care-leavers themselves.

Before we examine the various social policy initiatives in place to support adult care-leavers, we need to consider the nature of care and its aftermath. In this chapter, first, a brief history provides context to the provision of care in the five countries over the second half of the 20th century. Second, a review of the literature identifies the effects of a childhood in care and the subsequent support needs of adult care-leavers.

Background to childhoods in care

There are similarities in the social policy related to care in the countries under discussion, and also significant differences. To make sense of these similarities and differences, sociologist Jeff Hearn and his colleagues argue that an assessment of ‘the broad historical background and the context of the welfare state’ in the countries under study is required. To illustrate this point, in Australia, according to historian Nell Musgrove: