Making comparisons between services and programs provided in different jurisdictions, such as Chicago (Illinois) and Barcelona (Catalonia), presents some major challenges, since the realities of national and subnational... [ view full abstract ]
Making comparisons between services and programs provided in different jurisdictions, such as Chicago (Illinois) and Barcelona (Catalonia), presents some major challenges, since the realities of national and subnational contexts are different. Nevertheless, studies of care leavers around the world have found them to face similar difficulties across a range of national contexts. Moreover, the child welfare systems in Catalonia and Illinois have pioneered policies and services aimed at supporting transition age youth since the 1990s, making them excellent case studies of the current status of transition services. So, the study is aimed at comparing the transitional programs and services available to support youth in Chicago and Barcelona.
A variety of methods (document review of statutes, regulations and procedures, research and evaluation reports, websites and exploratory qualitative interviews) were used. Interviews were conducted with 20 professionals from service-providing agencies (nine in Chicago and eleven in Barcelona).
Some results, in terms of similarities and differences, were found in both cites. In Barcelona, autonomy after 18 is promoted as the priority, whereas in Chicago it is protection. In Barcelona youths are considered young adults at 18 and are expected to follow their case plan scrupulously (being involved in either work or training) to receive benefits. In contrast to the jurisdiction in Chicago which could be seen as more lenient as youths are not seen as adults until they are 21. However, this protection ends abruptly at the age of 21 whereas in Barcelona, it tends to be more gradual as the adult welfare system seems to offer more protective services and subsidies than in Chicago. Another example of a difference between these two approaches (autonomy vs. protection) are in the living arrangements; in Chicago the agency assumes the cost of the rent even though it is expected that the youth assumes an increasing responsibility for their rent and other living expenses. Contrarily, in Barcelona it is expected that youths pay from the first moment for their living expenses including rent and food with their monthly emancipation payment. In addition, Chicago agencies have specialized programs such as specialized schools, laboral insertion programs, etc. for youths 18-21 years old whereas in Barcelona there aren´t any and youths 18 and over are refereed to community-based services. The type of staff is another difference, in Barcelona the social educator is the only professional involved while in Chicago professionals are more diverse, such as caseworker, casemanager and on-site staff, with different training backgrounds. It is also important to highlight the crucial role of foster families in both cites to help youths in housing transition and connecting them with other adults, as some of the youths remain with their families after 18 or older. It is interesting to note that in Chicago there is a more extensive and consolidated culture of evaluation than in Catalonia, especially in evaluating the performance of the private child welfare agencies and in conducting studies such the Midwest to track longitudinally youth outcomes once they leave care.
Some recommendations were highlighted to provide guidance to practitioners, researchers and policymakers.
