From Residential Care to Independent Living: Care-Experienced Young People’s Voices on How Relational Experiences Shape Post-Care Transitions In Taiwan

Background and Purpose: In Taiwan, residential care remains a predominant placement type, accounting for 45% of out-of-home care as of 2025. Over half of these children stay for more than two years, and 38% for over three years, indicating that many spend their formative years within institutions. Notably, 74% of independent living services only begin after age 18. While existing research highlights the vulnerability of care leavers in housing and education, there is a gap regarding how long-term relational experiences in group-based settings shape their transition to independence. This study aims to amplify the voices of care-experienced young people to explore how growing up in residential care affects their post-care transitions.

Methods: Data were derived from a larger research project on normalcy in Taiwan’s residential care. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 care-experienced young people (aged 20-29) with significant histories of long-term residential care spanning 3-17 years. The interviews focused on their daily lived experiences within institutions and the perceived impact on their transition to adulthood. Thematic analysis was employed, specifically focusing on the intersection of institutional relational dynamics and transitional needs.

Findings: The findings suggest that the unique nature of group-based care creates distinct relational patterns that offer both strengths and challenges during the transition to adulthood. Three key themes emerged: (1) Survival strategies lead to interpersonal skills. Participants developed specific survival mechanisms within group-based settings, focusing on “reading the room” and environmental adaptation. This grants them keen emotional sensitivity and rapid adaptability in adulthood. (2) Lack of individualization leads to self-limitation in help-seeking. The absence of individualized positive support in group life often leads to extreme self-reliance. Consequently, care leavers tend to “self-limit” their access to resources, hesitating to seek help or feeling fearful about forming professional support connections. (3) Lack of family experiences leads to fragmented concepts of family. Having grown up without traditional family experiences makes it challenging to conceptualize “family” post-care. This ambiguity affects their experiences whether returning to birth families or attempting to form their own, as participants struggle to interpret the structural meaning and emotional essence of domestic life.

Conclusions and Implications: The study concludes that relational experiences in residential care are foundational to the success of independent living. From a trauma-informed perspective, the survival modes developed in care must be understood as adaptive responses. Practitioners should integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) to provide children and youth in residential care with safe spaces to practice diverse interpersonal skills. Furthermore, policies should focus on expanding resource networks and fostering a “care-leaver friendly” environment to support transitions. As Taiwan aligns with the global trend of deinstitutionalization, it is essential to examine whether transitioning toward family-like care models can substantially enhance relational stability and provide the family experiences often missing in group-based settings. Lastly, while residential care may never fully replicate a traditional family, practitioners can play a vital role by discussing family experiences, helping youth co-construct their own definitions of belonging as they transition to independence.