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National Reports and Integrative Analytical Report on LGBTIQ+ children in vulnerable contexts. National Report – Bulgaria National Report – Hungary National Report – Italia National Report – Lithuania National Report – Portugal National Report – Spain Integrative Analytical Report This project was funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) (2021-2027) under agreement No 101049251

This study involved 608 children and adolescents between 7 and 18 years of age (Mage = 12.9, SDage = 2.70) from 47 residential care centres in Peru (RCC). The objective of the study was to observe the mediating effect of school satisfaction on the relationship between violence by teachers at school and the subjective well-being of children and adolescents, considering how the low or high support from residential care staff can condition this mediating effect as well. The descriptive results show a very high prevalence of violence inflicted by teachers at school for both children and adolescents in residential care in Peru. Regarding the results obtained from the moderated mediation model results, the school satisfaction domain is observed to have a mediating effect on the relationship between teacher violence and subjective well-being in children and adolescents. In addition, a moderated mediation effect conditioned by support from residential care staff is seen only in the case of children Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Wiley

Despite the growing number of studies on the factors that facilitate or hinder care leavers’ transition to adulthood, most research has been focused on assessing this transition when participants t...

It is crucial to establish the validity of existing measures of children’s subjective well-being (SWB) for use within specific contexts. Two important measurement issues that implicate the validly of SWB scales are ‘question framing’ and ‘response options’. Fundamental to the latter is the concept of scale granularity, which refers to the number of response options imposed on a scale. However, the majority of studies on the topic have used adult and not child samples. The overarching aim of the study was to explore how children from three different contexts (Catalonia, Cape Town and North-Western Romania) perceive, understand, and make sense of SWB instruments, using focus group interviews and thematic analysis. A key finding of the study was the similarities in children’s understandings of the response options across these contexts. While this does not represent a claim for a ‘universal understanding’ of measurement scale response formats, it is suggesting that there are similar cognitive processes that children across the contexts apply when making sense of and deciding on which response option to endorse (for both verbal and numerical formats). Another key finding is the unique perspective on the process of how children make sense of the scale declarative statement in relation to these response options, and the life aspects they draw on for the final endorsement. Future studies should endeavour to focus on a range of different contexts and cohorts of children and include various types of measurement scales and response options.

Este estudo teve por objetivo identificar os fatores de proteção e de risco envolvidos no processo de transição entre o acolhimento institucional e a vida adulta. Participaram 13 jovens entre 18 e 24 anos, de ambos os sexos, egressos do sistema de proteção da cidade de Curitiba, no sul do Brasil. Cinco cuidadores também participaram, representando cada uma das unidades de acolhimento de onde os jovens provieram. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas em profundidade e submetidos à análise temática. Os temas e subtemas identificados dentro de dois eixos temáticos (fatores de proteção e fatores de risco) atravessam diferentes níveis contextuais e revelam um desequilíbrio que dificulta o processo de transição. Conclui-se que, além da maior observância às políticas e diretrizes já existentes, é necessário formular programas novos e específicos para esses jovens, alicerçados na concepção de que eles próprios devem ser os protagonistas de suas trajetórias.

A growing body of research focus on subjective well-being (SWB) in adolescence; however there are few studies focus specifcally on the residential care population and even fewer on diferences by type of residential facility separately for males and females. This study aims to analyze SWB in therapeutic residential care (a residential program created to address youths with severe emotional and behavioral problems) in relation to young people in other kinds of residential child care (RCC). 567 adolescents aged 14-18 from Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) (n=256) and RCC (n=311) participated in the study. Results showed few signifcant diferences concerning the residential program factor. Satisfaction with their own family was greater for young people in TRC and satisfaction, both with the groups they belong to and with their own residential facility, rated higher among the RCC group. Regarding diferences by sex, females reported less SWB in all the domains including overall life satisfaction. The efect of the interaction between sex and type of residential program showed that females in TRC reported SWB, particularly low. The main implications for research and intervention will be discussed. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research study was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) of Spain through the National Plan of I + D + i (PSI2015-65229-R and PSI2012-33185). The author Alba Águila-Otero holds a post-doctoral scholarship from the Severo Ochoa Program for Training in Research and Teaching in the Principality of Asturias (BP16061).

Both official data and scientific evidence have shown that gender violence and the impact it has on children is an important social problem and ways of preventing it do not appear to be working. As this is an issue that affects children, it was decided to involve children in this research from the outset. To this end, six children's advisory groups were formed. Focus groups were then organised to explore children’s perspectives on gender-based violence and the best ways for them to seek help and information in order to enhance early disclosure. Twelve focus groups were conducted with a total participation of 45 children aged 10–16 from Catalonia (Spain). The focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed through Theoretical Thematic Analysis. The results demonstrate the importance of children’s active participation in research processes. It is clear that their understanding of the term is fairly comprehensive, wide-ranging and associated with the patriarchal system. The results point out that gender-based violence occurs in many spheres of social relations and schools are highlighted as privileged spaces for disclosure. The figure of the teacher is particularly highlighted as a key agent, and seen as one of the professionals closest to the children and identified as a person of trust. Teacher training is a pending challenge in addressing the prevention and intervention on gender-based violence The project leading to these results has received funding from “la Caixa” Foundation under the project code SR20-00330 Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier

This study aims to advance the understanding of children with special needs in foster care by identifying the characteristics, processes, and outcomes of their placement. The study uses a quantitative approach to identify 190 children with special needs (registered) from among 2,157 foster children in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Spain and examines key data covering 2008 to 2018. The results show that children with special needs are overrepresented in placements with single-parent foster carers (mainly women), raising questions about the extent to which the care system takes the complexity of special needs into account Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitari i de Recerca, Grant/Award Number: SGR2017_905; Obra Social de la Caixa

Children in care, especially those living in residential centres, are much less likely to gain access to postsecondary education than their non-in-care peers. Mentoring programmes seem to have prom...

Most studies with children in out-of-home care highlight the problems and challenges associated with residential or foster care, and few have investigated the well-being of these children. The aim of this study is to compare the subjective well-being (SWB) of children hosted in institutions and in foster families with the well-being of children living with their families. We used a sample of 422 children, aged between 11 and 15, being 39 in foster care, 145 in residential care, and 238 living with their families in the general population. We measured SWB with the Personal Well-being Index-School Children (PWI-SC9) and we evaluated the impact of several variables in this index. Results indicate that children in residential care have a lower SWB in all variables compared to foster care and general populations groups. These outcomes should challenge children’s public policies to change from a dominant positive attitude toward institutionalisation to a more successful approach based on foster care families. This approach will provide the opportunity for children in out-of-home care to grow up in a family, and improve their SWB, which can probably ensure a better life trajectory.

Literature on subjective-wellbeing (SWB) of children and adolescents in residential care is still scarce. In addition, few studies relate self-control and SWB at these ages, particularly in this population. This study aims to examine this relationship based on different measures to assess the cognitive component of this construct: Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI), Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) and Students Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS). The main objective is to explore, from a bottom-up perspective, the moderating effect of an experienced happiness indicator (OHS) and the daily-life activities shared between caregivers and adolescents in the residential care system. The sample is composed of 391 adolescents between 12 and 18 years old (M = 14.62; SD = 1.60), who are living in 47 residential care centers (RCC) from Peru. The results show a positive and significant relationship between self-control and the cognitive and affective measurements of SWB, specifically, a stronger relationship with SLSS. A moderating effect of daily-life activities with caregivers and OHS is observed on the relationship between self-control and the two indicators of life satisfaction (SLSS and OLS). In the case of SLSS only daily-life activities show a significant moderation. In contrast, there are non-significant moderations for PWI. Finally, results are discussed to enhance the socio-educative function of residential care centers, considering the importance of daily activities for SWB.

Children’s subjectisuppleve well-being (SWB) constitutes an important component in the understanding of their quality of life and refers to the opinions and evaluations made by children themselves about the main aspects of their lives, and their satisfaction with these life aspects. This research focused on children whose SWB has been little investigated. In Spain, 38% of children in out-of-home placements are in residential care, 46% in kinship care and 16% in non-kin foster care. The aim of this study was to analyse SWB among adolescents in care, considering the type of placement in greater depth and how it correlated with several explanatory variables. We adapted the International Survey of Children’s Well-Being questionnaire for adolescents in care aged 12–14 years old, including 3 psychometric scales on SWB: Overall Live Satisfaction, the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale, and the Personal Well-being Index—School Children. The response rate was 58% (N = 700). Multiple regressions were used, an open question was also included and categorical content analysis was done. Results indicated that adolescents in foster care (kinship and non-kinship) reported better SWB in all life domains than those in residential care. Variables, such as the number of placements, the amount of time spent in the last placement, a previous failed foster placement and satisfaction with caregivers had an impact on adolescents’ SWB. Links between these results and those obtained in the qualitative analysis were particularly notable as regards relationships with the people who lived with them, placement instability, and lower life satisfaction among adolescents in residential care.

The study presented here focuses on northeastern Brazil and aims to analyse the relationship among children's situation of social disadvantage -as reported by children-, subjective well-being and coping. The sample analysed comprises 864 pre-adolescents in the final year of primary and first year of secondary education (age range 10–15) attending 27 randomly-selected state-run and private schools in the province of Ceara. The administered questionnaire contains: (a) items related to situations of multidimensional social disadvantage combined within an index, (b) three psychometric scales of subjective well-being, and (c) a measure of coping strategies and styles (cognitive-behavioural distraction, acting out and active strategies). Results indicate that the social disadvantage index predicts subjective well-being as measured by any of the three indicators used here; however, the perception of social disadvantage reported by children using different indicators seems to increase with age. Children reporting situations of greater social disadvantage according to this index exhibit significantly lower subjective well-being scores; children using the distraction coping strategy tend to display higher scores and children using the acting out coping strategy tend to display lower scores on the subjective well-being indicators. Surprisingly, girls in this sample report using acting out coping estrategies more frequently than boys.

Research on residential care has been well established in the literature. Nonetheless, research drawing from the actual experiences of adolescents is relatively scarce. A qualitative study was designed highlighting the voices of children, analysing their fostering experience, interpersonal relationships, their participation in daily decisions, and future aspirations. The sample included 33 early adolescents in residential care aged 12–14 in Portugal (n = 17) and Spain (n = 16). Results showed that there was agreement in terms of the importance given to education, their satisfaction with the material conditions of residential centre, and their dissatisfaction concerning matters of individuality, autonomy, participation, and socialization This work is funded by National Funds through the FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the scope of the project UIDB/05198/2020 (Centre for Research and Innovation in Education, inED) and UIDB/04647/2020 (Interdiscilinary Centre of Social Sciences, CICS.NOVA)

Recent international research has warned of the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on vulnerable children. However, little is known regarding the in-care population. Objective: To find out how children in residential care perceived the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown in their everyday life, relationships and subjective well-being. Participants and setting: 856 children from 10 to 17 years old (Mage = 15.5, males = 71.2%, females = 28.8%) living in residential centres in Catalonia. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Children responded to an on-line questionnaire administered between June and July 2020. Bivariate analysis and multiple linear regression were used comparing the answers by sex. Results: Better relationships with caregivers (β = 9.156, [4.089–14.22], r2 = 0.244, p < .01) and having a person of trust (ß = 4.588, [2.041–7.134], r2 = 0.244, p < .01) were found to be relevant for children's subjective well-being. For girls, improving their grades (β = 14.86, [8.560–21.15], r2 = 0.234, p < .01) were relevant while boys' subjective well-being was significantly affected by an increase in use of social networks (β = 8.917, [2.733–15.10], r2 = 0.234, p < .01). Conclusions: A gender perspective is needed to help girls in situations of vulnerability. We should continue to listen to children's opinions, giving them the opportunity to participate in improving the children's home and its immediate environment and ensuring they have access to stable adult role models This work was supported by the Direcci ́o General d'Atenci ́o a la Inf`ancia i l'Adolesc`encia (Generalitat de Catalunya) [General Direction for the Attention of Children and Adolescence, Government of Catalonia] Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier

The study used data from the second wave of the Children's Worlds Survey to explore the relation between children's experiences of bullying victimization (physical and psychological) and their subjective well-being (SWB) across three age groups (8, 10, and 12) and 15 global geographical regions. The sample consists of 47,029 children randomly selected from 15 countries. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. The results show appropriate fit structure for the overall model, and that the combined influence of physical and psychological bullying made a significant contribution to SWB across age groups and geographical regions. The findings are interpreted using Cummins's (1995) Homeostasis Theory of SWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the article is to analyze the characteristics and experiences of youths when they leave care and their first years in transition from foster care to adulthood. The study design was based in in-depth face-to-face interviews in two sessions to collect life stories and content analysis. Participants were thirty-two young people who left care in 4 Autonomous Communities in Spain (Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Madrid and Galicia). The results highlight that socio-biographic profile of the young people shows formative and life pathways marked by instability, situations of abuse and neglect within the family and later entering foster care. The second block of results refers to their life history within foster care, where their relationship with their family of origin is a key influencing factor and peer groups are highlighted as a protective factor and contributor to building resilience. The severity of rules often appears as highly criticized and, social labeling is interpreted as greatly hindering their social, formative and work integration. The third set of results, centered on the socio-educational intervention of the social educators in foster care centers, stands as a key aspect for overcoming victimization and for strengthening empowerment. The final block of results refers to the process of transition to adulthood from foster care, which will depend both on the work done before the age of 18 in foster care centers and on the resources that support them after.

This article compares the out-of-home care (OOHC) systems for children at-risk in Spain and Israel. Both countries share a strong tradition of placing children at-risk mainly in large residential care settings rather than familial solutions, and both face the challenge of the deinstitutionalization of care, including the tendency to substitute family-based solutions for institutional care. This article follows the historical development and current status of out-of-home care systems, as well as the main research contributions on these topics in both nations, revealing a great similarity. Both countries share a Mediterranean culture, in which the family ties are dominant in providing personal and social well-being. The strong family ties are assumed to be related to the slower consolidation of foster family care as an alternative for out-of-home placement. In Spain it has led to a high prevalence of kinship foster care, while in Israel this has led to high use of residential care settings. The challenges Spain and Israel face given this structure of public child care are discussed.

Relationships within the family are important for the development of children's well-being, as well as for their evaluations of their family and their overall life satisfaction. Nevertheless, little is known about differences in family relationships, family subjective well-being (SWB) and overall SWB of children from different groups, especially those who are living in diverse family structures. The purpose of this study is to explore differences in family relationships, family SWB and overall SWB between children living in three different living arrangements – a two-parent family, a single-parent family and a separated family. The study used data from the second wave of data collection of the Children's Worlds project, a large international study of children's well-being. 20,343 children aged 10–12 from 10 countries constitute the final sample of the current sample. Several agreement, satisfaction and time use questions were applied to measure the children's family relationships and family SWB. Two psychometric scales were used to explore the children's overall SWB. In addition, differences in socio-economic characteristics were also explored. Children living with both parents were found to evaluate their family relationships and family SWB higher than children living in a single parent family and in separated families. Similar results were also found in respect to overall SWB. Not many differences were found between the last two groups, namely these children are quite similar in their perceptions and evaluations of their families and their overall SWB. However, children living in separated families tend to be less satisfied with the people they live with and their family life. This trend was found in all participant countries, although it was less prevalent in Israel and Algeria. The discussion offers several possible explanations to the findings, and emphasizes that the source of the differences may be complex and may include macro and micro explanations.

The education of children in care is an issue that often falls into a no man’s land in which responsibility always seems to be attributed to the other ‘department’. Furthermore, all too often, teachers, educators and foster parents find themselves working with these children with no support, as if they were isolated cases. The aim of this study is to get to know the school situation of children in different types of out-of-home care: residential, kinship and non-kinship care. Systematic data on the school situation of 11–16-year-olds (on class attendance, school behaviour, academic results and guidance towards post-compulsory education) were gathered over a period of 5 consecutive school years. A 3-year longitudinal study on the same items (N = 391) was made and time-series data were gathered for 5 years (N = 1841). Results show that the in-care population is at a clear disadvantage and inequality of opportunities compared to the general population in relation to their educational pathways and out...

El procés de presa de decisions en l’àmbit de protec­ció a la infància comporta sovint molta complexitat. A Catalunya, una de les mesures amb les que comp­ten els Equips d’Atenció a la Infància i Adolescèn­cia (EAIA) per donar suport als infants per tal que continuïn convivint amb la seva família d’origen és el Compromís Socioeducatiu (COSE), posat en marxa a partir del seu establiment a la Llei 14/2010 d’Infàn­cia. En el present article es presenta una primera ava­luació dels aspectes del disseny, del desenvolupament i de l’aplicació tècnica del COSE per tal de fer propos­tes per millorar, si s’escau, la seva eficàcia. S’ha seguit una metodologia mixta, recollint dades quantitatives i qualitatives a través d’unes anàlisis secundàries de les bases de dades, juntament amb l’ús de qüestionaris i entrevistes a professionals i pares i mares. Els resultats mostren l’increment del seu ús amb el pas dels anys però sense consens sobre la seva efi­càcia, evidenciant una gran variabilitat al llarg del territori. S’enumeren recomanacions per avaluar i millorar-ne l’eficàcia en tant que mesura orientada a la superació d’unes situaci­ons de risc. També s’aconsella repensar l’ús de la prestació econòmica, reelaborar el format i redacció del document del COSE, així com compartir coneixement i bones pràctiques entre els EAIA de diferents territoris.The decision-making process in the field of child protection often involves a lot of com­plexity. In Catalonia, one of the measures that the Childhood and Adolescent Attention Teams (EAIA) have in order to support the children to remain with their family of origin is the Socio-educational Agreement (COSE) since the Law 14/2010 on Childhood. This article presents a first evaluation of the aspects of the design, development and technical application of the COSE in order to make proposals to improve, if applicable, its effecti­veness. A mixed methodology has been followed, collecting quantitative and qualitative data through secondary analysis of the databases, and also the use of questionnaires and interviews with professionals and parents. The results show an increase in its use over the years but without consensus on its effectiveness, showing great variability throughout the territory. Recommendations are given to evaluate and improve their effectiveness as a measure aimed at overcoming situations of risk, rethinking the use of the economic be­nefit, re-elaborating their format and writing, and sharing knowledge and good practices among different areas.

Studying the subjective well-being (SWB) of children in out-of-home care is becoming important. However, there is a lack of results on the subjective well-being of children in kinship care. The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the subjective well-being of children at the age of 12 years old in kinship and residential care and in the general population, taking into account gender differences.We administered the questionnaire used in the International Survey of Children's Well-Being (ISCWeB) including two psychometric scales (OLS and PWI-SC).The results showed differences in overall SWB scores (using PWI-SC as a SWB indicator) and in its components among the three groups: children in kinship care scores were more similar to those from the general population. The PWI-SC displayed good fit statistics with the pooled sample and good comparability with the Multi-group SEM with constrained loadings and intercepts, suggesting it was acceptable for comparing correlation, regressions and mean scores of the items. Gender appeared to have statistically significant effects on the OLS scale, showing lower scores for girls in residential care.Supporting kinship appropriately and taking into account gender issues are the challenges facing public policies for children in care.

Children’s material well-being, and the levels of wealth and inequality in societies within which children live, are important factors in determining outcomes. However, less is known about the extent to which these factors have an impact children’s subjective well-being, especially in an internationally comparative context. This study draws on data from the Children’s Worlds survey, an international study of child subjective well-being, to explore links between national level indicators of wealth and inequality (GDP and Gini coefficients), individual indicators of material well-being (the material resources children report having access to), and subjective well-being. The survey covers 15 diverse countries covering the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, with samples of at least 3,000 per country, ages 8, 10 and 12. Analysis takes the form of a multilevel, varying intercepts and slopes model, examining the association between financial and material resources and inequality and subjective well-being across and between countries. Findings suggest that material resources that children report are significantly associated with subjective well-being, while indicators of financial resources and inequality at the national level are not. While a significant association between material resources and subjective well-being is found across the whole sample, the magnitude of this association, and the association between school- and country-level material resources, varies markedly. Within different countries, the strongest material resources-related predictor of overall subjective well-being may be either at the individual, school or country level.

Resumo O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar as implicações da violência entre pares no contexto escolar, do clima escolar e da percepção dos contextos de desenvolvimento no bem-estar subjetivo de crianças e adolescentes. A amostra é composta por 910 estudantes do 6º e 7º ano do ensino fundamental, de 27 escolas, públicas e privadas, urbanas e rurais do Ceará. Trata-se de um estudo transversal quantitativo que utilizou os instrumentos escala de vitimização e agressão entre pares e de clima escolar; três índices de percepção dos contextos de desenvolvimento (casa, escola, bairro); três escalas de bem-estar (satisfação com a vida para estudantes, índice de bem-estar pessoal e item único de satisfação com a vida) para coleta de dados. Os dados passaram por análise de variância multivariada com nível de significância não superior a 0,01. Os resultados indicam que a tipologia bullying, isoladamente ou em interação com as variáveis analisadas, é a que mais impacto exerce sobre o bem-estar da população estudada, sendo os envolvidos os que apresentam as menores médias de bem-estar. Níveis baixos de percepção dos contextos casa, escola, bairro, e do clima escolar, bem como estudar em escola pública e/ou morar em zona rural, estão igualmente associados a bem-estar subjetivo baixo.