ABSTRACT
The opening chapter provides a brief account of the universally poor outcomes in adulthood of graduates from state care in Western countries and the challenges encountered in improving the educational attainment and life chances of care leavers. The wider implications of these issues for disadvantaged or marginalised youth more generally are considered briefly, followed by a summary of the sustained policy focus in England since the turn of the century on the education of children in state care and on support during and after young people’s transition to adult independence. An outline of the empirical study underpinning the book is provided and its contribution to understanding and promoting the factors contributing to a successful transition to adulthood for children ageing out of care is considered. An overview of the theoretical lenses used to inform analysis throughout the book is given, with brief commentary on their relevance and limitations. The structure of the remaining chapters of the book is briefly set out in closing.
