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This paper explores practice examples relating to young people's transitions from care to adulthood. It discusses examples drawn from young people's pathways to adulthood, leaving care law and policy and participation. The paper concludes with a discussion of the research evidence on promoting the resilience of young people from care to adulthood, by proposing a framework for evaluating the impact of practice. It is suggested that practice should be interrogated in respect of the contribution made to stability and continuity, educational achievement, involving young people, preparation and support into adulthood, and health and well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses how social support enhances family resilience in kinship foster families by involving the families in an educational group programme. Sixty‐two kinship foster families from Spain participated in the research. The data were collected before the programme (interviews) and after the programme (interviews and focus groups), and these were analysed by content analysis with the programme Atlas.ti. The results show that the factors that contribute most to the development of family resilience are as follows: (i) feeling able to look for solutions when facing problems; (ii) an increase of their network of formal support; (iii) being able to offer support to other foster families; and (iv) feeling that the support they give to parents' foster children is socially recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the evaluation of residential care from the perspective of the adolescents in care. Twelve discussion groups were carried out in 12 different centres in Catalonia (Spain). A total of 66 adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years of age participated. The data contributed by the discussion groups were analysed and categorized using descriptive analysis matrices. Most notable from the results is that the majority of those interviewed call for increased emotional involvement from the social workers, more contact with their families and re-educational intervention within their families, which renders the return to these possible within a shorter period of time. Data provided by the adolescents lead us to reconsider the concept of optimum professional distance and to suggest replacing it with optimum professional proximity; this would be based on emotional involvement and not on emotional distance, although not on emotional dependence either. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this paper, we analyse reunification processes from family foster care, both kinship and non-kinship, and the variables associated with them in a Spanish sample. Data collection was carried out after a review of child protection and foster care files, and those responsible for the cases were also consulted. The cases studied were closed, which made it possible to assess the final outcome of the fostering. We found that only one-fifth of the children return to their birth family after the fostering, and that those in non-kinship are less likely to do so. Seven factors were associated with family reunification processes: age of the child, kinship care with family co-operation, drug dependence in parents, neglect due to alcoholism, foster care under voluntary arrangement with visits, short-term fostering with family co-operation and parental impossibility due to imprisonment. The contribution of these data takes on particular importance given that the Spanish child protection system keeps no official statistics on the development or outcome of its interventions and records even less information on the factors associated with such outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study carried out in Spain that followed up 260 young people, the majority of them adults, who had been in residential care for significant periods. The follow-up takes place between 1 and 9 years after participants had left residential care, and assesses their level of social and work integration, as well as considering the incidence of problems related to marginalization and social exclusion. Furthermore, it analyses the reasons for the child being taken into care, the socio-family context, length of stay, changes in placement and other features or incidents in relation to the residential care. The data show that close to 15% have serious problems (drug dependence, delinquency, etc.), 25% receive help from the social services and the rest manage independently to a greater or lesser extent. We discuss the significance of these data, especially the relationship between the final result and the initial and process variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article employs concepts from family sociology to explore how 'family' is conceptualised in 14 life narratives of young people in foster care in Spain. The article draws on a multi‐method approach with young people who are in long‐term non‐kinship foster care. Seven girls and seven boys aged 10 to 22 took part in the study. The empirical material reveals an interplay between biological preference and foster family affective practices in young people's narratives, illuminating a struggle to make sense of the concept of family in foster care. Most of the participants understand family as shared affective practices sustained through love, commitment, consistent care and reciprocity rather than blood ties. Some show a preference for biological connectivity, while others describe family as determined by rituals and family displays. The key practice implications highlight the importance helping young people positioning themselves in birth family relationships, and supporting their sense of family belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If children in child protection cannot be cared for by their natural parents, should they be adopted or live in foster home? Results from a study of representative samples of populations (n = 12 330), in eight European countries—Austria, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Spain—and California, USA, reveal that people would recommend adoption over foster care, if a child in public care cannot grow up with their natural parent(s). There are cross‐country differences between populations, and examining if institutional context such as type of child protection system explains differences, we find that child maltreatment‐oriented systems are more supportive of adoption than other types of systems. Citizens having little confidence in the child protection system were only weakly correlated with preference for adoption. In conclusion, people prefer adoption as placement options for children in care are more than foster homes, and possible this finding reflects a sort of refamalialization of children into the private sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrival of unaccompanied minors from Africa in Spanish territory has been a constant since the last decade of the twentieth century. This migratory phenomenon has forced the child welfare system to attend to thousands of migrant children. The transition to adult life is a decisive stage in overcoming the situation of social exclusion. This research aims to analyse which socio‐educational intervention strategies are effective during the process of transition to independent living with unaccompanied minors of African origin. We designed a qualitative research according to the grounded theory, which we divided into two phases. Twenty‐nine young people (26 men and 3 women) participated. In phase 1, we performed two focus groups (N = 11), and in phase 2, we conducted longitudinal follow‐ups (N = 18) for 24 months through 180 interviews. The results indicate the effectiveness of designing socio‐educational accompaniment, prioritizing spaces of trust from which to attain the goals of emancipation. Young people consider effective those strategies that favour their knowledge of the social, labour and legal reality of the host society, designed considering each minor's individualized situation. We concluded that professional involvement acts as a buffer, reducing the bureaucratic obstacles implemented by the Spanish government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition to adulthood is an accelerated and early process for care leavers that requires intensive preparation, training and support from child welfare services. This study aimed to explore the perceived readiness for independent living of a group of care‐experienced young people preparing for leaving care in Spain and to compare it with the perceptions of their peers from the general population. A sample of 508 youth (50% women) aged 14–21 (M = 16.67; SD = 1.72) took part, of whom 279 were care experienced and 229 belonged to the general population in Spain. Participants' independent living skills, personal autonomy, self‐efficacy and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed through an online survey using standardized instruments. Care‐experienced young people displayed higher levels of life skills and autonomy in self‐care, daily living at home and employment domains, but not related to making daily arrangements in their community. However, their educational level and self‐efficacy levels were lower than in the comparison group. Work experience stood out as a significant predictor of care‐experienced young people's life skills level. These findings support the importance of assessing life skills as an outcome of leaving care preparation services and providing care‐experienced young people with real‐life experiences to develop their life skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lockdown imposed as a result of the COVID‐19 pandemic has placed unprecedented stress on families. The family is a key system in relation to child development, and when birth families are unable to meet their child's needs, foster carers become an important source of support in their development. The Double ABC‐X Model of family stress and adaptation considers that a family's capacity to cope with stressful situations is influenced by pile‐up of stressors, family resources and perception of the situation. Following this model, the study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on family stress and functioning. The sample comprised 347 Spanish adults (100 with foster families and 247 with non‐foster families) who completed a survey during lockdown. The results showed that certain sociodemographic variables (gender, income, working from home, characteristics of the home and children with special educational needs) were associated with stressors during lockdown, perception of the lockdown, and family adaptation to stress during lockdown. Associations were also found between stressors, family resources, perception of lockdown, and family adaptation in foster and non‐foster families, with the former having a more positive perception of the lockdown experience. The relevance of the results and their implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence is a pervasive problem and many children and adolescents live under such circumstances. The aim of this research is to qualitatively explore variations among adolescents' reactions to violence occurring at their homes by trying to identify specific patterns in how these adolescents reacted to the violence and how this is related to the length of time they have been exposed to the violence. Fifty-eight adolescents (26 boys and 32 girls, 13-18 years of age) recruited in their schools completed a self-report questionnaire including qualitative open questions regarding the beginning of the violence and their reactions to it. Adolescents often described having reacted to the violence by attempting to distance themselves from it, or by interfering to protect their mother. Only the adolescents who began witnessing family violence at a specific point in time, when something significant happened in their families or because of changes in society, expressed not wanting to think about it or described being impeded from interfering or protecting their mothers because they felt distressed. Among the adolescents who had experienced family violence for their entire life, they often described that they did nothing to prevent the violence or they avoided thinking about it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse the interaction between children in foster care and their main caregivers during a microcoded co‐construction task, focusing on the verbal and non‐verbal behaviours that the adults use to promote a secure attachment in the child. It also examines how children and caregivers' socio‐demographic variables relate to the interaction. The sample is made up of 28 Spanish children between 4 and 9 years old in long‐term non‐kin foster care and their foster families. The building task was administered to 28 dyads, composed of the child and the main caregiver in each family. Our results showed that the caregivers' use of attachment‐facilitating behaviours was frequent during the interaction. Moreover, children tended to display a positive attitude when adults used these attachment‐facilitating behaviours. We also found some differences in the interaction according to the caregivers and children's age, the child's gender and the caregivers' satisfaction with the child's development. These results offer us a better understanding of the functioning of the adult–child relationships in foster families, which helps us make more efficient interventions to improve the caregivers' sensitivity towards the children's needs and difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived parenting competence influences parenting practices and is a decisive factor in child development and health. There is a lack of valid and reliable tools in Spain to measure perceived parenting competence. The objective was to adapt the Parenting Sense of Competence scale (PSOC) and analyse its psychometric properties in a sample of 600 mothers of children aged between 6 and 12 months old from Spain. The PSOC was translated into Spanish (PSOC‐E) using a standard forward‐ and back‐translation process. Internal consistency, factor structure, and comparisons between known groups and correlations with other variables were assessed. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the original two‐factor structure: satisfaction and efficacy. The PSOC‐E showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α =.85). Perceived parenting competence was negatively associated (P <.01) with parental depression, fatigue, and parental stress and positively associated (P <.01) with dyadic adjustment. An equivalent Spanish version of the PSOC was obtained with good evidence of reliability and validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the types of youth‐led activities performed during the community‐based program "Building My Future" and their impact on personal, problem‐solving, and community competences. At‐risk and non‐at‐risk adolescents (N = 410) participated in 49 groups in the local social services. Different types of pre‐intervention and intervention activities and the meetings held with external resources were associated with pre‐post changes in self‐concept, productive task orientation, connectedness, coping skills, participation, and integration with the community, using cluster analyses. Results showed that adolescents who performed the pre‐intervention activity carried out more modules and performed more intervention activities. Performing group dynamics as a pre‐intervention activity, carrying out creative activities, volunteering, excursions, and games, but no sports, and meeting up with associations were related to the most positive changes in at‐risk groups. Non‐at‐risk groups that mainly participated in amusing activities experienced a decrease in their competence scores. This shows the relevance of the types of self‐selected activities carried out when promoting positive development and can serve as guidance for future community work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional support of families that are under temporary protection, with the goal of reunification, is necessary for helping families re‐establish their family dynamics. Without this support, the conditions that contributed to child abuse and neglect will likely persist. In this context, the attitude of professionals towards positive parenting and child participation is a decisive factor. The quantitative study presented here contributes knowledge regarding these 2 variables. The study was conducted with 106 professionals who work in the child protection system. The results show a high degree of consensus among professionals regarding the following practices: (a) incorporating positive parenting into family reunification processes; (b) training the biological parents in parenting skills; and (c) promoting the active participation of children in foster care and reunification. Regarding the latter point, the study found that older and more experienced professionals are more open and inclined to promote participation in family reunification processes. The practical implications of the results invite us to review attitudinal competencies training for professionals working in child protection services, focusing on encouraging a positive attitude towards the parental competencies of the biological family and the active participation of children in foster care and reunification. These professionals' attitudes are a key factor in mediating the process of family reunification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Research on out‐of‐home child care has revealed that foster care programmes focused on educational attainment and reading have the potential to improve the academic outcomes of children in care. However, no studies have examined which elements of these programmes positively benefit children's emotional well‐being. This article presents evidence of the positive effects of implementing a successful educational action, dialogic literary gatherings, in a children's residential care institution. A qualitative study using a communicative‐oriented methodology was conducted and involved five participant observations and eight daily life stories with children in out‐of‐home care in Catalonia (Spain). The children's reflections demonstrated that reading classic books, such as Dickens' Oliver Twist, deeply influenced their feelings and self‐conceptions and created new and exciting meaning in their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from several countries has shown the over-representation of racial/ethnic minority groups in child protection services (CPS). The objective of the present study was to explore whether racial/ethnic and socio-economic biases influence Spanish CPS caseworkers' judgements of the severity of child maltreatment. Moreover, the study attempted to explore the influence on these judgements of the use of structured instruments and professional experience. Two case vignettes of child maltreatment were presented to 405 CPS caseworkers and 169 students of social work and psychology. Family ethnic origin and income were manipulated in the vignettes. The findings showed no statistical evidence of biases related to family ethnic origin or socio-economic status (SES) in Spanish CPS caseworkers' judgements of maltreatment severity. Biases related to family SES were found for students for the vignettes of physical abuse. CPS caseworkers and students who did not use a structured instrument to assess maltreatment severity tended to underestimate the severity for the vignettes of parental incapacity to control child/adolescent behaviour and to overestimate it for the vignettes of physical abuse. CPS caseworkers who used a structured instrument showed higher percentages of accuracy and inter-rater agreement, supporting the relevance of structured tools in reducing potential caseworkers' biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this component of a preliminary cross-national study (Ireland and Catalonia) of care leavers' experience in the world of work is to explore how carers may influence the entry of young people in care into the world of work and how they may also influence the young people's progress in that world. A total of 22 care leavers, aged 23-33 years, were recruited on the basis of their having substantial employment experience since leaving care. Evidence from the interviews reveals the importance of the role of carers in the work-related progression of the young care leavers, especially in relation to gaining work experience while they were still in care. The qualitative analysis shows that carers were influential in promoting (and sometimes hindering) progress in work and education. Carers were often reported to play an important role in opening up opportunities, giving support (modelling skill development, giving practical help, etc.), being role models and cultivating the young person's agency. On the basis of these findings, we propose an initial conceptualization of carer roles in positive work support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been argued that contact visits between foster children and birth parents can help maintain attachment bonds and support the child's development. However, some research suggests that such visits can be detrimental. This study analyses the characteristics of contact visits and examines children's perceptions of the emotional relationship they have with foster carers and their biological parents. Participants were 104 non‐kinship foster children and their respective foster carers and social workers. Fifty‐six of these foster children had contact visits with their birth parents. Foster children rated the quality of their relationship with foster carers and birth parents using the Affect Scale. Foster children, foster carers and social workers all completed the Evaluation of Contact Visits Questionnaire. Results showed that (i) a high proportion of children had no contact visits; (ii) the contact agreement was often not fulfilled; (iii) many visits were rated as poor quality; (iv) foster carers' evaluation of visits was more negative than that of both foster children and social workers; and (v) children who experienced poor‐quality visits and perceived less warmth and more criticism/rejection from their parents. These results highlight the need to improve contact visits by developing intervention strategies targeted at all those involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined stress, coping and psychological adjustment of 68 children, aged 8–12, who were internationally adopted to Spain. Using the Kidcope, all children were asked about the most stressful general and adoption‐related problem they experienced and the use and effectiveness of various coping strategies when dealing with the problem. For all reported problems, the nature of the problem (personal, interpersonal, regarding others), the content, the degree of stress it created and its perceived controllability were analysed. Emotional and behavioural functionings were assessed with the Behaviour Assessment System for Children. About half of the children mentioned specific problems concerning the adoption, with inracial adoptees reporting less adoption‐related problems than transracial adoptees. For general and adoption‐related problems, interpersonal problems were mentioned most often. With regard to the content, ‘relationships’ and ‘victimization’ were mentioned most often for general and adoption‐related problems, respectively. Adoption‐related problems were appraised as less controllable. No differences emerged in terms of coping with general or adoption‐related problems except for ‘self‐criticism’. Overall, the children used many coping strategies and were generally well‐adjusted. Identifying the problems and coping strategies of adoptees is important in order to help these children and their families tackle these stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship foster care has experienced significant growth within the Spanish child protection system and now carries considerable weight. Over 40% of children in the public care system are formally fostered by relatives, equalling, and in some areas exceeding, the percentage of those in residential homes. This increase is not the result of a pre-designed global programme or clearly pre-established objectives in the system itself. Its current weight within the system has made it the focus of attention of researchers, politicians and protection system practitioners alike. The results of research carried out in Spain have revealed more positives than negatives in this type of fostering, giving rise to an in-depth reflection on care systems, questioning the determinism of theories anchored in the intergenerational repetition of abuse and making room for perspectives more associated with resilience and children's rights. Positive results are related to fewer breakdowns, more stability, permanency beyond the age of 18, children agreeing with their placement, academic results similar to those with non-relatives and better results after leaving care. The negatives relate to the lack of economic, educational and psychosocial support, which generally goes with this type of fostering. The experience of support programmes for these placements contributes to the debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]