This study focuses on access to school related resources for young people (13–18 years old) in foster and residential care. The aim is to examine the degree to which environments for young people in foster and residential care provide them with relevant resources for their schooling. The study employs a welfare perspective and the concept of level of living, where, given adequate resources, young people are seen as agents with the potential to exercise self-determination in their own lives. The data are retrieved from a survey of the level of living for young people placed in out-of-home care in Sweden, an exercise that replicates national surveys of children living at home. Access to resources is then compared for the two groups. This shows that young people in care, especially residential care, lack central school related resources. Based on these results, the article discusses looked after young people’s potential to exercise determination while in care.
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