The Youth Transitions Study (New Zealand): Whāia to huanui kia toa. Technical report, no. 27, June 2018

The Youth Transitions Study is a longitudinal study of young people’s transitions to adulthood. These young people faced high levels of risk during childhood and adolescence. The study investigated young people’s transitions and explored the role of services and support networks in these transitions. This report draws on the qualitative interviews and explores one theme that emerged in the data analysis: young people’s experience with services.

The young people had experienced significant adversity over their lifetime. These young people had complex needs and used multiple services (child welfare, youth justice, mental health, and education support services, both statutory and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)). Engagement with services can facilitate access to resources and support to mitigate the risks these young people face in their everyday lives. However, service engagement with services was not straightforward. This report explores young people’s insights into their experiences with services as well as their recommendations for how to improve service processes and the overall service experience. In particular, it is concerned with explaining the individual and system-level facilitative factors and barriers to young people’s service involvement. (From the Introduction). See the website for other publications from this study. Record #6007