Fortalecimiento de la Autonomía en adolescentes y jóvenes desde el Modelo de Acogimiento Institucional: Hogar del Niño San Vicente de Paúl, Quito 2022

Abstract

The results presented in this study are the product of research on the situation of young people who graduated between the period of 2020 and 2023 from the "San Vicente de Paúl" Children's Home, once they reached the legal age. This research analyzes both the stage of preparation for the transition to independent living of adolescents over the age of fifteen who could not integrate into any family or adoptive environment, and the factors that enhanced or limited the expected outcomes of autonomy in that transition process. For data collection, a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was used, focusing on the meaning that each individual gives to the same experience. Therefore, in addition to the review of secondary sources (publications and institutional documents), techniques such as interviews (with authorities and professionals from the Children's Home) and focus groups (with graduated young people) were used to determine the perceptions of different stakeholders regarding the preparation provided (by the children's home) and acquired (by the young people) and its impact on the current situation of the recipients. The analysis carried out shows unsatisfactory results: only 20% of the graduated young people acquired the necessary tools for autonomous and independent living; the rest transitioned from the protection of the Children's Home to the protection of a family member or friend. Among the factors that limited the outcomes, the homogeneity and/or obsolescence of the applied model were identified. This model hasfailed to recognize that the transition to autonomous life for young people has become more complex and prolonged nowadays. For young people in foster care, leaving the institution at the age of 18 implies the conclusion of a situation of shelter and support, and the beginning of a new stage of accelerated, forced, and uncertain growth and autonomy.