Unveiling the role of residential care in care leavers’ personal development and life outcomes.

In the current quantitative study, we explored the perceived contribution of residential care (PCRC) to multiple life domains and the factors associated with these perceptions from three main stages in Israelis’ care leavers’ lives: precare, in care, and postcare. Drawing on a representative sample of 2,295 care leavers’ retrospective reports, integrated with their longitudinal administrative records, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and identified two constructs pertaining to participants’ PCRC. The first focused on contribution to personal development, and the second on contribution to achieving tangible and intangible life outcomes. In-care experiences of peer and staff support were strong predictors of both perceived personal development and life outcomes. Only a few precare factors and none of the postcare factors were predictive of PCRC. Specifically, PCRC was lower among men compared with women. Additionally, compared to Israeli-born participants, PCRC to personal development was lower among Ethiopian immigrants but higher in the life outcomes domain. PCRC was also higher in both domains among participants whose parents had a criminal conviction. In the Discussion section, we highlight the importance of understanding care leavers’ perceptions in relation to different life course stages. Implications for policy and practice in care and postcare are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) Israeli young adults who were in their adolescence in educational residential care hold positive views regarding the impact of their care experiences on their personal development and various life outcomes. Peer relations and staff support emerged as strong predictors of perceived residential care contribution. Residential care could be a suitable out-of-home placement alternative that promotes youths’ well-being in their young adulthood.