11. Care Leavers in Italy

Care Leavers in Italy: From ‘Vulnerable’ Children to ‘Autonomous’ Adults?’ (Ch11) makes appropriate use of its multiple authorship as Laura Formenti, Andrea Galimberti and Mirella Ferrari use different discursive frames to convey the problems associated with leaving care. Laura’s tale is event-focused, looking at supportive relationships in different phases of her participant’s life; Andrea’s is relational, reflecting the interactive style of the interview; Mirella’s fictionalized, creating meaning differently; so each researcher draws upon their individual strengths. In many respects this is a performative piece even though the medium is a written one, so little attempt is made to compare the merits of each approach. It is for you, the reader, to engage with the texts and decide how each approach works and what is useful to you and your research. Thus, the chapter avoids prescription and maintains its polyvocal stance, reaching out for interactive engagement