and reach thousands of daily visitors
8 FEBRUARY 2010
NO 1539
After residential care
The effects of institutionalization on children in orphanages started to been studied in the 40-50s with work by Spitz (1945a, 1945b), Goldfarb (1943, 1944, 1945, 1947,1955) and Bowlby (1953). Most of these studies focused on the cognitive effects of deprivation. They reported serious prejudices in intellectual development. A large number of works – not exempt from critiques and deficits in their designs – warn of the prejudices of institutionalization for cognitive, physical and socioemocional development. Nevertheless, Maclean (2003) pointed out that the effects of institutionalization do not lead alone to pathologic conditions, there are other important aspects in the environment after the residential care, that are also important. Rutter (1972) has already indicated in his review of the subject, the problem has to be approached to improve resources and attention for protected children.
As a result of different reports [Children in Public Care (Utting, 1991); Accommodating Children (Welsh Office, 1992); Another Kind of Home (Skinner, 1992), The Quality of Care (Howe, 1992); Choosing with Care (Warner, 1992)] residential care changed towards small size residence models with short stay times and older foster ages, specialized professional teams and socio-educational attention programs beyond the basic assistance work as well as opening more to the community where they are located.
Nevertheless, residential care continues to be the first model used to care for unprotected children in many countries. And in fact, comparative studies do not identify better results in the models of protection (Weyts, 2004). Therefore, more research is necessary to improve the conditions and programs that are successful in caring for unprotected children. Success is understood as socially positive insertion (work, housing, psychological health, interpersonal relations, etc.) after fostering.
Bullock, Little and Milham (1993) reviewed the studies on residential care. They report that the best quality of attention was observed when residences focused more on the children than on the center, when centers promoted a good relationship between children and staff; nevertheless, the deficits in socioemocional development, the instability of the staff and the marginal role of the families constituted a permanent problem. These studies also focused on the increase in the age of attention. The teen population raises new needs, such as the need to prepare for an autonomous life, as well as find a good model of foster care in families.
Panchon, Fernandez del Valle, Vizcarro, Anton, and Martin (1999) studied the situation of minors between 16 and 18 in Spanish residences. In this study they found that 69% of young people had an educational level that did not correspond to their age, and a low level of motivation. These investigators also reported that only 56% of the residences planned to supervise the young people once they left the center.
Fernandez del Valle, Alvarez and Fernanz (1999) studied the situation of 188 young people after being fostered in residences in Asturias (Spain). They reported that the mean duration of a stay in a residence was 6.5 years and a fourth of the sample had remained more than 10 years in residences. Less than half of the sample (40.5%) was working and only 8% was studying. The study reports that 19% have had problems with the law or related to social transgressions; 2.7% had been or were in prison (in the general population the rate is 0.1 %); 37% of the sample had not managed to find an economically acceptable situation and sociolaboral stability: 10% of the boys and 26.6% of the girls were in marginal situations (problems with the law, drugs, prostitution, etc.); 26.6% of the boys and 23.6% of the girls were depending on the social services to live; and in many cases they did not have housing. These researchers concluded that more than 60% of the young people had achieved positive insertion. They also found that the group that had major social conflicts did not correspond with the group that had been in a residence for the most time, and so they concluded that the factors responsible for these problems are outside the residence.
JOSEFINA SALA ROCA, ANDREU VILLALBA BIARNẾS, MERCÈ JARIOT GARCÍA AND MONTSERRAT RODRÍQUEZ
Roca, J. S., Biarnés,
A.V., García,
M.J. and Rodríguez,
M. (2009). Characteristics and sociolabour insertion of young people
after residential care. International Journal of Child and Family
Welfare, 12, 1. pp. 22-23.
REFERENCES
Bowlby. (1953). Child care and the growth of love. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books.
Bullock, R., Little, M. & Milham, S. (1993). Going home: the return of children separated from their families. London: Dartmouth.
Goldfarb, W. (1944). Infant rearing as a factor in foster home replacement. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 14. pp. 162-166.
Goldfarb, W. (1945). Psychological privation in infancy and subsequent adjustment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 14. pp. 247-255.
Goldfarb, W. (1947). Variations in adolescent adjustment of institutionally-reared children. American journal of Orthopsychiatry, 17. pp. 449-457.
Goldfarb, W. (1955). Emotional and intellectual consequences of psychologic deprivation in infancy. A re-evaluation. In P. Hoch and J. Zubin (eds.), Psychopathology of Childhood (pp. 105-119). Nueva York: Grune & Stratton.
Howe, L. (1992). The Quality of Care. Local Government Management Board.
Maclean, K. (2003). The impact of institutionalization on child development. Development and Psychopathology, 15. pp. 853-884.
Panchon, C., Fernandez Del Valle, J., VIizcarro, C., Anton, V. & Martin, C. (1999). Situacion de menores de 16 a 18 anos en centros de proteccion. Barcelona: Dulac.
Rutter, M. (1972). Maternal deprivation reassessed. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books.
Skinner, A. (1992). Another kind of home. Edinburgh: HMSO.
Social Services Inspectorate. (1991). Accommodating Children: A Review of Children's Homes in Wales. Wales and Social Information Systems Limited.
Spitz, R. (1945a). Hospitalism: An inquiry into the genesis of psychiatric conditions in early childhood. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 1. pp. 53-74.
Spitz, R. (1945b). Hospitalism: A follow-up report. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 1. pp. 53-74.
Utting, W. (1991). Children in the Public Care: A Review of Residential Care. London: HMSO.
Warner, N. (1992). Choosing with Care. London: HMSO.
Weyts, A. (2004). The educational achievements of looked after children: Do welfare systems make a difference to outcomes? Adoption and Fostering, 28, 3. pp. 7-19.
