The contribution addresses the impact of residential care on biographies decades after leaving-care with the aim to increase the scientific understanding of the impact of residential care. The focus is set on experiences of care-leaver. The findings are based on data material of a qualitative research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation on life trajectories after residential care (1950–1990). The study conducted 37 biographical narrative interviews with former children placed in residential care between 1950 and 1990 in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. The paper presents aspects of their transitions, their biographical experiences and longterm outcome for these people affected by residential care experiences. As we know residential care facilities have changed in last decades, but structurally some key figures are still continuing. They still interrupt the life course two times: when you start to the live in the institution and when you leave. And some of them are still closed settings. The contribution gives insights how young people manage to integrate residential experiences through their life course and where they keep on struggling until the end of their lives. From a life-course perspective, the impact of social service intention on individual life courses, behind sending the individuals to such facilities, are important to investigate. They implicate relevant information concerning current practice and overseen challenges. Social networks and experiences of parenthood show why and how we could better frame and accompany transitions out of care.

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