The Transitions to Adulthood of Young People with Multiple Disadvantages

The transitions to adulthood debate has drawn attention to the increasingly complex and unpredictable character of young people’s movements away from their families of origin, into independent housing, and in obtaining paid employment (Iacovou and Berthoud, 2001; MacDonald et al., 2001). Young people’s extended transitions now frequently encompass periods of extended dependency upon their families and/or the state, a phenomenon which is to some extent attributable to the contraction of the UK’s youth labour market (Furlong and Cartmel, 1997; Payne, 1998). While explanations are complex, the lengthening of the school-to-work transition in the UK appears to be, at least in part, attributable to policy decisions to prolong this period of training in response to youth unemployment (Lindley, 1996).