What does home mean for young people in foster care?

Home has a cultural and personal significance extending beyond physical accommodation. However, young people’s understandings of home when living in out-of-home care have not been the subject of dedicated research. These young people may navigate multiple dwellings, unfamiliar household practices and transient relationships. Even in placement stability, they have typically experienced little say in where and with whom they live. In such contexts, does the idea of home hold relevance for young people in foster care? And, if so, what does home mean? To pursue these questions, this paper presents data from an Australian semi-structured interview study with young people living in foster care. It aims to illustrate how home as a conceptual tool provides insights into the interrelated material, social and emotional dimensions of living in foster care, and test the relevance of aspirational dimensions of home in a socially and relationally ambiguous context. Thematic analysis indicates that home was a resonant idea for young people in foster care. It was a socio-material experience that was temporal, relational, emplaced and experienced in daily, mundane practices. It was constituted through four dimensions: caring relationships, felt safety, familiar householding practices and opportunities to claim space.