Objectives This exploratory research seeks to understand the trajectories of those teenagers who lived in intensive education residential centres (CREI) in Catalonia, and the factors that had an impact on this path,... [ view full abstract ]
Objectives
This exploratory research seeks to understand the trajectories of those teenagers who lived in intensive education residential centres (CREI) in Catalonia, and the factors that had an impact on this path, especially, in the youngsters who performed a positive evolution in the centre. Personal traits, intervention carried out in the centre and the social support network while in care were observed.
CREIs are for young people, in the custody of the Catalan Departament de Treball, Afers socials i Famílies, aged between 12 and 18, who require a temporary and intensive educational attention due to behavioural problems.
Method
The data from 86 cases who lived in the centres for a year or more, time considered by professionals as necessary to conduct a meaningful intervention, was collected. There were 4 of these centres in Catalonia and this study considered all the population of the centres.
A structured interview was answered by a member of the professional staff that worked together with each of the 86 teenagers. It sought to collect information about different fields such as profile on entry, behavioural problems, academic and practical education, intervention progress, relationship with staff members/caregivers, external social support network, and destination after leaving the centre.
All participants signed a written consent form and data was delivered to researchers anonymously to preserve confidentiality and anonymity.
Results
Data showed that most of the youngsters arrived at the intensive education residential centres when they were around 15 years old and their average stay was 23 months, which meant they left the centre when they approached or reached adulthood (18 years old in Spain). The intervention carried out in the 4 CREIs was focused on working on their behavioural problems, academic level, substance abuse and social abilities. Most of the youngsters showed a positive evolution in the process (61.6%), positive evolution being considered as an improvement in the problem areas presented at the time of entering. Professionals reported that the most valuable factors for this improvement in the teenagers process were “finding a clear limit that he/she lacked”, “the inner dynamic of the centre”, “understanding the centre as a resource for help”, “intense individualized care” and “attachment to caregivers”. However this bond built during their stay seemed to get broken after teens left the centre, with the relationship between them and the caregivers reduced to occasional contact which only occurred if the youngsters took the initiative.
Conclusions
Intensive education residential centres prepared youngsters to be independent once in out-of-care but it was seen that they were left on their own when the date came. Even though the centre remained open for the youngsters who wanted to get in touch, nothing was known about most of them after a few months. The study concluded it was necessary to implement a systematic monitoring process in order to know how they were doing and maintain the support and the healthy bond teens had created with their caregivers and/or the centre. This was above all because most of them went back to the same environment from which they had been removed or they started an independent life on their own. This monitoring process should be useful to extend the positive impact the centre had on these young lives and facilitate their successful performance in their out-of-care life.
