Testing a tool for improving life skills to independent living: The Umbrella program

There is a unanimous consensus about the need for preparing young people for transitions to adulthood from care before they leave child care facilities. Although support after leaving care is a necessary help, the success of... [ view full abstract ]

There is a unanimous consensus about the need for preparing young people for transitions to adulthood from care before they leave child care facilities. Although support after leaving care is a necessary help, the success of this transition also depends on the skills that young people could acquire while in care.
The Umbrella Programme is a specific tool for developing independent skills in young people in care 14-18 years old. It was thought to be implemented as individual or group activities in residential placements and it is a very flexible programme.
In this research we will present preliminary results of an experience of evaluation of the efficacy of the Umbrella Programme applied in several residential facilities in Portugal. The implementation process included staff training, pre-test assessment and a selection of sessions to be applied in a sample of residential facilities. Also a control group of young people was used to evaluate results.
This paper will present preliminary results of this experience of applying an instrument for developing independent skills in residential care, including the analysis of the pre-test assessment by means of some scales of independent skills and competencies.