Overcoming adversity: The strengths of care leavers in Australian higher education

Abstract

Young people who have spent time in out-of-home care, including foster care, kinship care, and residential care, rarely access higher education. Those who do enter university often face financial constraints, mental ill health, and academic under-preparation. These educational challenges and barriers have been well documented but less emphasis has been given to the strengths possessed by care leavers who successfully access higher education. In this paper, we analyse the firsthand accounts of care leavers in Australian higher education. Our findings highlight how care leavers can bring particular qualities, skills, and mindsets to higher education which help them to succeed despite extreme challenges, and which could be harnessed more broadly by institutions. We argue that better understanding of the challenges, experiences, and strengths of care leavers could benefit all students on campus.