Around 1,000,000 to 1,020,000 young people aged 16 to 25 live in Austria in 2026 (Statistics Austria). International research increasingly describes the period between adolescence and adulthood as a distinct transitional and developmental phase (“Emerging Adulthood”), during which key steps towards economic, social and personal responsibility and independence often extend beyond the age of 18. The pointed formula “25 is the new 18” refers to this extended transition and developmental phase into adulthood and highlights its growing significance for the 16- to 25-year-old age group. It is to be understood as a scientific metaphor rather than as a legal or normative age threshold.
For the 16- to 25-year-old age group, however, there is no official overall figure indicating how many of these young people have had experiences with child and youth welfare structures and systems. The available statistics refer to individual services, forms of care and reporting years and therefore do not capture the entire population of young people aged 16 to 25 with experience of child and youth welfare services. There is also no nationally consolidated official figure for young people with experience of adjacent or complementary support systems – such as child and adolescent psychiatry, disability services, crisis intervention centres or comparable institutions – for this age group.
In Austria, tens of thousands of children and young people experience the structures and measures of child and youth welfare each year. In 2024, 45,313 minors received support for upbringing within their families and 13,050 minors received “full care”, meaning care outside the family, for example in socio-educational facilities or foster families. In addition, 1,550 young adults received support within their families and 2,243 outside their families (Statistics Austria 2024).
The target population of the research project comprises young people aged 16 to 25 with experience of child and youth welfare services who are currently in the process of care leaving or have already completed the status passage leaving care. An official nationwide figure for this population is currently not available. For the planning of the research project, an estimated target population of approximately 11,500 young people is therefore assumed. This figure represents a scientifically informed estimate and not an official population figure.
Existing statistics and previous research findings demonstrate the relevance and scale of this field of research. At the same time, it is already well established that young people with experience of child and youth welfare are particularly exposed to structural disadvantages in the areas of formal education and societal participation and experience discrimination. However, less is known about how young people themselves experience these structural disadvantages, experiences of discrimination and transitions into adulthood, which individual and structural challenges and resources play a role, and how their experiences and support needs develop over the course of their lives. This applies in particular to the areas of housing, finances, education, employment, social relationships, digitalization, societal participation and well-being.
The research project addresses this gap in knowledge. It examines the individual and collective experiences, social relationships, educational pathways, resources and support needs of young people aged 16 to 25 with experience of child and youth welfare services. It also focuses on the formal and informal structures, systems and discourses, as well as the institutional and societal conditions within which young people experience their transitions into, within and out of child and youth welfare. The project examines how these contexts and conditions shape young people’s experiences, perspectives and opportunities for action, which burdens and barriers arise, and how these affect their ability to shape a self-determined, responsible and autonomous adult life.
At the same time, the research project provides a targeted support program for young people aged 16 to 25, designed to actively accompany and support participants during their transition into adulthood throughout the study period. The CLiP_TransformativeSpace™ is a specifically developed educational and counselling program made available to study participants throughout the study period from February 2027 to January 2029. It combines research with concrete support and creates a protected space for learning, reflection and exchange, as well as for developing individual and collective perspectives and opportunities for action in Leaving Care.
