My Path Towards Living on My Own: Voices of Youth Leaving Dutch Secure Residential Care
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My Path Towards Living on My Own: Voices of Youth Leaving Dutch Secure Residential Care Inge Bramsen1 · Chris Kuiper1 · Kees Willemse1 · Mieke Cardol1
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Youth departing from secure youth care are often not well prepared for living on their own. This study aims to provide more insight into youth’s perspectives on what they need to improve their chances for successful return to and participation in Dutch society. The study is a first necessary step on a journey to develop a tool for these youth to evaluate the development of autonomy and participation. We chose for a participatory research methodology. Youth participated as co-researchers in all steps of the research. Sixteen adolescents aged 15–20 years participated in open in-depth interviews using an autobiographical life story method. They were treated as partners and future owners of the tool to be developed. The interviews were transcribed and analysed. Realizing trustworthy social bonds appeared essential for developing autonomy. Youth started to move when they were socially connected and had found out what they value. Then they started “to do their thing” and “to find their own path”, which was their language for experiencing autonomy. An interesting new finding was the importance of rest for youth to enable them to develop self-insight and to find their own path. The findings imply that staff in secure residential care should invite youth to develop their own ideas about their life and future, stimulate exploration and reflection, and a dialogue with people around them. Opportunity for acting, trying and doing is also needed, so that youth can discover in practice what works for them. Keywords Adolescence · Autonomy · Participation · Secure residential care · Participatory research In many developed countries, therapeutic residential care is one option available within the child welfare system for youth who need out-of-home care. Therapeutic residential care settings within and across different countries vary in models and practices, but share many commonalities as well (Whittaker et al., 2016). Placement in a residential setting is generally seen as an option of last resort for treatment needs that cannot be met at home (Frensch & Cameron, 2002). Institutions vary in the levels of restrictions imposed from open to secure or locked institutions, and children with more complex needs tend to be placed more often in more restricted settings (Huefner, James, Ringle, Thompson, & Daly, 2010). Youth tend to have lengthy placement histories in different settings which means that a substantial part of their development towards young adulthood is taking place within out-of-home care (Goodkind, Schelbe, & Shook, * Inge Bramsen [email protected] 1
Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 25035, 3001 HA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2011; Rauktis, Fusco, Cahalane, Bennett, & Reinhart, 2011). This study focuses on the needs of Dutch youth in the transition from secure youth care tow
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