Pathway Plans – telling my story?

Abstract

Pathway planning concerns the transition of young people leaving care to independent living and adulthood. This article is based on doctoral research (Stewart, 2009) into the pathway planning process introduced under the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 (OPSI, 2000). The research concentrated on the key components of education, training and employment. In particular, it investigated whether such planning could improve the life chances of female care leavers who are teenage parents. Central to the process are the young person’s aspirations and sense of identity, both fundamental to career planning. This article reflects on two key aspects that emerged from the investigations and are pertinent to the practice of career guidance: the value of adopting a narrative framework as developed by Leiblich et al. (1998) when conducting interviews with the young people; and how participation in the pathway planning process supported the young people in exploring, reflecting and re-defining their sense of self.