Exploring the perspectives of ‘young adults’ (18–24) who have been in formal care and their experiences of attending a socially prescribed community allotment gardening group

Introduction: Young adults who have experienced periods of time being ‘in care’ are one of the most socially deprived populations within society, with their needs largely unmet and often not fully understood. Despite the significant attempts to invest in community-based ‘social prescribing’ interventions to address such health inequalities, there is a dearth of understanding regarding how such occupation-based community groups are experienced by this particular population. This UK based qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of young adult ‘Care Leavers’ regarding their participation in a socially prescribed community gardening group.

Method: Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with six young care leavers aged between 18 and 24 years who regularly participated in a community gardening group. Interviews were recorded transcribed verbatim and analysed Braun and Clarke’s Thematic Analysis process by two researchers to maximise validity.

Findings: Four key themes emerged: ‘Social belonging and connection’, ‘A safe space’, ‘Sense of achievement from active engagement’ and ‘The facilitatory aspects of nature’. The findings suggested nature-based co-occupation within a local group, enhanced social capital, self-identity and wellbeing.

Conclusion: This study supports the emerging scope of using community occupation-based interventions with young adult ‘Care Leavers’ and offers an insight into their particular needs.