ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to show that social relationships and participation in
communities are of central importance to promoting positive educational pathways for
young people from a public care background. The article will explore what facilitates and
hinders young people’s educational pathways. In addition to a general description of
facilitators and barriers, this article focuses primarily on the importance of social
relationships. This is done with reference to an EU research project called Young people
from a public care background: Pathways to education in Europe. This article will show
that young people’s age at entry to care, pre-care experiences and in-care experiences
influence their educational pathways. The article argues for the importance of professionals
to be proactive in helping young people access and engage in social communities.
