Academic situation of children and young people in residential care: a descriptive approximation

One of the greatest challenges currently facing children protection in our country is related to the academic development of children and young people living in residential care. The transition to adulthood, and more so, their... [ view full abstract ]

One of the greatest challenges currently facing children protection in our country is related to the academic development of children and young people living in residential care. The transition to adulthood, and more so, their future integration into the labour market requires the development of basic school skills which the children and adolescents acquire as their schooling progresses. Although in recent years there is more literature that pinpoints the difficulties an unprotected population has in the academic sphere, it is still necessary to broaden our knowledge about this matter (Montserrat, Casas y Bertrán, 2013; Pérez-Romero, 2016).
This is the aim of this work, in which we set out in a descriptive fashion, the main findings related to the academic sphere of a sample of children and teenagers in residential care. In the framework of a wider project in which we have been studying the needs related to the emotional and behavioural problems of children and adolescents in residential care in Spain we analyse highlighted aspects of the academic progress of this sector of the population.
The project involved the participation of 1226 children and teenagers selected from different autonomous communities in our country. Most (75%) of the subject group were aged between 12 and 18 years old, while the remaining 25% were aged between 6 and 11 years old. The majority (76%) were in children’s homes, 10 % were in transition to adulthood homes, whilst the remaining 14% were shared among different programs (such as, programs for severe behavioral problems or unaccompanied asylum seekers). In most cases, the main reason for entering in protection system was family maltreatment and average time in residential care was 42.6 months.
The findings related to their school situation were arranged in three areas of interest: school level (studies they follow, adaptations of curriculum, school years repeated and academic performance); attitudes towards learning at school (in terms of motivation); and behaviour in the educational environment. We also explore the relationship of these indicators in terms of gender and age of the children and young in care. The source of information for the research was provided by the residential care workers.
In general terms, preliminary results show reveal that more than half the participants (60.1%) have had to repeat a school year at some point, with 39.5% requiring individual curricular adaptations. Moreover, we find poor academic results in an alarming percentage, that of 62.2% overall.
The findings that we offer contribute to shed light on the academic situation in which the children and young in care find themselves, with important implications for the social and educational intervention that is carried out in residential care. As Montserrat and Casas (2010) point out, the low education level and premature dropout are factors related with social exclusion.