Staff and youth views on autonomy and emancipation from residential care: A participatory research study

Maria Manuela Calheiros, Joana Nunes Patrício and João Graça

Evaluation and Program Planning, 2013, vol. 39, issue C, 57-66

Abstract: The use of participatory approaches in designing services is still relatively uncommon. In this study, we helped design a service to support the transition of youth from residential care to independent living by exploring the perspectives of staff and of youth regarding: (a) the concept and development of autonomy; and (b) key factors in developing this type of service. We gathered the data through 10 interviews with staff (n=10) and 4 focus groups with youth (n=21), and subjected the data to a thematic content analysis. Staff defined autonomy as self-regulation and self-care, and identified three paths to foster autonomy – a sense of normality, meaningful relationships, and planning for emancipation. The staff and youth identified the following important aspects in designing the service: achieving normality (e.g. limited number of residents), promoting youth capacity (e.g. skill-building activities), providing social support (e.g. trust and respect between residents), and assuring guidance and boundaries (e.g. supervision of youth).

Keywords: Participatory research approach; Services design; Residential care; Transition to independent living (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:epplan:v:39:y:2013:i:c:p:57-66

DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2013.04.003

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