Transition from out-of-home care into adulthood : normative framing of autonomy and social capital. The case of France and Luxembourg.

If the end of youth today generally can no longer bee described as "rite of passage" (Lebreton 2002, Galland, 2007), this might still be true for the situation of young people who have been in out-of-home care. Indeed, the "end of support", educational as well as financial, often ends for them by the age of 18. This is the case in France (in some cases to 21 years olds during the contract signing young adults) and in Luxembourg (sometimes till 24). Far from the possibility "of an endless experimentation" Bozon (2002), these young people face a "clean break" which plunges them into an adult life, which is more likely difficult to reach for them (INED 2006). A survey in France showed that care leavers "are greatly over-represented among homeless populations (estimated 23% of 18-24 years), compared with 2% in the general population). For Luxembourg a report by youth centres managers noted the difficulties for young people with no family support to fit into a very expensive rent. In France and in Luxembourg transitions of young people in care are marked by projects like: «projet individualisé», «projet d’autonomie» or «projet personnel à l’autonomie» (France) and «projet d’autonomisation» (Luxembourg ) The notion and the leading concept of autonomy which shapes these projects will be the focus of our discussion. Based on the results of three evaluations (Kerivel 2013) on the consequences of public policies and programs in this field, a study about the trajectories of 122 former foster children in four villages of children (Dubéchot, Doucet-Dahlgen, Kerivel 2014) and on the first results of the TransCare project (qualitative interviews with care providers) we will discuss what they mean for understanding the transitions of young people growing out-of-care to adulthood. A qualitative study is ongoing on the process of transition in Luxembourg (2015) and the experiences of young people. Results pointed at the isolation of many young people (by changing places and losing relations) and the feelings of powerlessness of the professionals who face an early exit for "young people who are not yet autonomous". Conversely, a place or a group that continues facilitates strong links. The transitions of young people leaving care can be characterized as “zones of vulnerability” (Castell 2000). We will contrast the idea of individualized autonomy (“an individualized defined and stable project”) by the concept of social capital (Bourdieu, 1980) and the concept of a relational agency (Burkitt 2015, Barad 2004, Emirbayer 1997), which points at social and material dependencies and interrelatedness. Herein we see a productive way to enrich the debate on care leavers by a perspective on the agentic potentials. The individual project is embedded in social relations and does not exist without a collective and it cannot be achieved without social resources.