The foster home Casa do Canto - Associação Portuguesa para o Direito dos Menores e da Família-CrescerSer - for adolescents girls, aged between 12 and 18 years, developed a Life Competences Programme that relies on the promotion of the rights of the fostered girls, their life project and their autonomy. During the programme implementation, each girl receives a preparation for her emancipation in order to promote a safe and secure exit of the institution and to facilitate the insertion and functionality in the family and/or community.
This Life Competences Programme is integrated in the psychosocial and socio-educational intervention project - Projet’Ar-te (a project funded by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2012-2015). The aim of this project was to promote and follow the life autonomy process of the participants, during and after the hosting in foster home Casa do Canto, and the specific aims were to promote emotional regulation strategies and to develop social and personal competences. This second aim is accomplished in the Personal and Social Competences Programme (PSCP) that has a 6-month duration and two intervention levels.
Participants in the program, 39 adolescents girls with ages between 11 and 19 years (M=15,33; SD=1,797) completed an evaluation protocol, applied in two moments, pre and post intervention, composed by the standardized instruments: Umbrella Inventory (DelValle e Garcia Quintanal, 2006), the Self-esteem Toulouse Scale (Tap & Vasconcelos, 2004) and the Youth Self Report/YSR (Achenbach, 1991).
In terms of autonomy competences, the results highlight a significant increase in the scores of Umbrella Inventory, in specific dimensions as money, study/work and home. Significant intraindividual differences were also registered in personal competences: 74% of participants increase in home competencies (Qui2(2)=29,692; p<.001), 67% of participants increase in study/work competencies (Qui2(2)=21,385; p<.001) and 72% of participants increase in money management competencies (Qui2(2)=27,846; p<.001).
The results presents a positive significant change on emotional problems, perceiving a decrease in anxiety/depression problems (F=-2,304; p=0.021). The calculation of the RCI (Reliable Change Index) for YSR scores suggests a global clinical improvement in adolescents mental health: decrease in general psychopathology levels in 57,9% of the participants (Qui2(2)=18,053; p<.001), decrease in internalizing problems in 57,9% (Qui2(2)=16,000; p=.000), and decrease in externalizing problems in 52,6% (Qui2(2)=10,316; p=.006). In specifics dimensions of anxiety/depression problems and isolation there were a significant clinical improvement, correspondingly, 57,9% of the adolescents (Qui2(2)=10,474; p=.005) and in 50% (Qui2(2)=7,947; p=.019).
It also became possible to verify that 63,2% of the girls had a self-esteem increase (Qui2(2)=16,632; p=.000), showing a general self-esteem increase (F=-2,496; p=0.013) from the pre to the post intervention.
The results of the participants will be discussed in comparison with those obtained from the reference adults, in the corresponding instruments.
In a general way, it is possible to conclude that with the increase on the protection and autonomy promotion factors, such as the self-esteem development and the acquisition of life competences, as well as the decrease on risk factors, such as emotional and behavioural problems, it became possible to capacitate the individuals, developing confidence and security to overcome the challenges and difficulties during and after their foster period.
Key words: Foster care, autonomy, personal and social competences
