For many people, turning 18 is a reason to celebrate. Getting a driver's license, voting, gaining a bit more freedom. But for most, adult life arrives little by little. The family stays close, helps with rent, lends money, offers a room when things get tight.
For a teenager living in a children's shelter, the story can be very different. In this article, we explain what happens in this transition and why it deserves everyone's attention.
Why some young people turn 18 in care
Institutional care is a temporary measure. The goal is for the child to return to the family of origin or, when that is not possible, to be placed with a substitute family, for example through adoption.
But these paths do not always come true. Sometimes going back home is not safe. And for many teenagers the chances of adoption are slim, because it is hard to find families willing to take them in. So some of them end up reaching adulthood while still in care. At that point, leaving is mandatory.
A departure that should be prepared
Brazil's Statute of Children and Adolescents, in article 92, includes gradual preparation for leaving among the principles of children's shelters. In other words, leaving should not come as a shock, but as the end of a process built over time.
The Technical Guidelines for Child and Adolescent Care Services, by CNAS and CONANDA, detail this care. For teenagers with little chance of returning to their families or being adopted, they recommend work focused on:
- creating and strengthening ties with the community;
- expanding access to education;
- offering vocational training and paths to a first job, such as apprenticeships;
- gradually developing the autonomy to take care of themselves and take on responsibilities;
- helping the young person build a life plan.
The document also says that leaving should not be seen as a single moment. It is the result of an ongoing process of developing autonomy.
Youth group homes: a bridge that is still narrow
To support those who turn 18 with nowhere to go, the Technical Guidelines provide for youth group homes, known in Brazil as repúblicas. They are homes for young people aged 18 to 21, with technical supervision, that work as a transition between care and independent life. There, young people learn to manage the house, the bills and their routine, with support close by.
The problem is that there are still very few. A terms of reference published in 2026 by the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, in partnership with UNDP, cites data from the 2023 SUAS Census. That year, there were 81 youth group homes in Brazil, spread across 43 municipalities and the Federal District, in only 14 states. Together, they offered 598 places.
The same document brings an even more worrying figure. According to studies cited by the ministry, the whereabouts were known for less than 15% of young people who left care because they turned 18. In other words, the vast majority move on with their lives without the system knowing how they are doing.
The risks of leaving without support
The ministry's terms of reference acknowledges that this transition often happens abruptly and without preparation. This exposes young people to greater risks of unemployment, broken ties, violence and even homelessness.
Imagine starting adult life without a guarantor to rent a room, without someone to call in an emergency and without any savings. This is the challenge faced by many young people who grow up in care.
What is changing
There are signs of progress. According to the same document, the new National Plan for Family and Community Life, for 2025 to 2035, approved in December 2025, made support for young people after 18 a strategic priority. The plan calls for a policy that brings together housing, income, mental health, education and work, with a planned transition to adult life.
But plans take time to become reality in the neighborhoods. Meanwhile, society can do a lot.
How the community can help
No policy replaces a network of people. And this is where you come in. Some ways to support teenagers approaching adulthood:
- Education. Donations that cover supplies, transportation and courses help them finish their studies.
- Work. Companies can offer apprenticeships and first jobs, with mentoring.
- Know-how. Volunteer professionals can teach how to write a résumé, open a bank account or manage a budget.
- Bonds. Affective sponsorship, through official programs, creates ties that continue after leaving the house.
PROHACC and the future of teenagers
PROHACC has cared for about 18 children and teenagers in Perus, São Paulo, since 1997, with no government funding agreement. In every children's shelter, caring well for the present is also preparing the future of those who will one day leave.
Supporting a children's shelter means helping maintain the routine and care that, step by step, build autonomy. See how to support on the How to help page.
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Sources
- Statute of Children and Adolescents, Law 8,069/1990, art. 92, item VIII: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l8069.htm
- CNAS and CONANDA. Orientações Técnicas: Serviços de Acolhimento para Crianças e Adolescentes, 2009, items 3.5.7, 3.5.8 and 4.4, pp. 53 to 55 and 85 (copy hosted by TJDFT): https://www.tjdft.jus.br/informacoes/infancia-e-juventude/informacoes/informacoes/instituicoes-de-acolhimento-1/orientacoes_tecnicas.pdf
- Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship and UNDP. Terms of Reference, Call for Proposals 01/2026, Project BRA/18/024, item 6 (2023 SUAS Census and PNCFC 2025 to 2035): https://www.gov.br/mdh/pt-br/navegue-por-temas/cooperacao-internacional/editais/editais-2026./BRA18024_EditaldeConvocao_01_2026.pdf