Young people’s pathways:
delays and decisions
Ferran Casas
Carme Montserrat
University of Girona
London Conference
29 November 2010
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
Spanish context
Recent quantitative data
Qualitative results from the YIPPEE
project in Spain
Some recommendations
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
1. Spanish context





Autonomous regions
Legislation
Education
Protection system
Transition to adulthood
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
2. Recent quantitative data
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Catalonia (2009-2010)
Residential
care
Non-kinship
Foster care
Kinship Foster Total
care
4 ESO
37 23.4%
12 40.0%
35 45.5%
84 31.7%
3 ESO
67 42.4%
15 50.0%
28 36.4%
2 ESO
33 20.9%
11 41.5%
0
41 15.4%
1 ESO
Sp Ed
Total
2
6.7%
6
7.7%
1.3%
0
-
0
-
19 12.0%
1
3.3%
30
100%
2
158
100%
8 10.4%
77
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
100%
2
0.8%
28 10.6%
26
5
100%
Catalonia (2009-2010)
Expected level at age15
Overall
population
69.4%
Repeat year during
Compulsory Secondary
Education (ESO)
Graduated at age 16
Graduated when in Year 4 of
ESO
Special Education School
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
In care
31.7%
9.1%
64.5%
60%
20.6%
81.9%
59.6%
1.1%
10.6%
Catalonia (2009-2010)
30.9% of children in care from the cohort born in 1994
left compulsory education at 15 without the certificate
 12.9% displayed absenteeism during the 2009-10 school
year
 29.4% had serious behavioural problems and
disciplinary measure were adopted at school.
 Half of them are guided towards PCPI (non qualified
professional courses), while in the overall population
only 4.4% are in such studies
 The longer they have been at the same school, the
fewer attainment and behavioural problems are
observed.

Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Catalonia (2009-2010)

Results are very concerning in relation to young
people in residential care.

Although they show slightly higher levels of
achievement, those in kinship and non-kinship
foster care still show the need for better support in
relation to their educational pathways.
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Some aspects worth highlighting
Positive  collaboration has begun between the
two relevant Departments of the regional
Government: a first step has been taken
regarding data collection
 They are prepared to work with the YIPPEE
project
 Results award more visibility to the situation
of educational pathways of children in care
 There is a lot of work still to be done at political
and practical levels, including for researchers

Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
3. Qualitative results from the YIPPEE
project in Spain
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Different perspectives regarding the educational
pathways of YPLC in Catalonia
Four perspectives:
Young people (35)
Managers of social
welfare services (13)
 Carers (social educators)
(20)
 Secondary Education
Teachers (56)



Total of 68 interviewed +
56 open-ended answers

In depth interviews or
open-ended answers 
categorisation (N*VIVO)
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Characteristics of the young people interviewed

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68% women
66% born in Spain
14% unaccompanied foreign minor
All them living in Catalonia
More in residential care than in family foster care
Living accommodation at the first interview
(age18 -21)
Residential facility with support (post care service)
No.
Apartment (own tenancy, shared with friends,…)
Foster carers
Older sister
13
5
1
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16
Studying at first interview?
Intermediate Vocational Training (post-compulsory
secondary)
4
11.4%
1st year Upper Secondary Education (postcompulsory secondary)
2nd year Upper Secondary Education (postcompulsory secondary)
1
3%
4
11.4%
Access Course to Advanced Specific Vocational
Training (Higher education)
Advanced Specific Vocational Training (HE)
5
14.3%
4
11.4%
University
Others
They were not studyingFerran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
4
6
7
11.4%
17.1%
20%
Pathways in post
compulsory education
Certificate of Compulsory Secondary
Education
A
B
1st Upper Secondary
Education
Intermediate Specific Vocational
Training
2nd Upper Secondary
Education
Course and exam for entrance to
advanced training
Access
exam
Advanced Specific Vocational
Training
UNIVERSITY
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Type of education and qualification at expected age or older
Academic level
At expected age or older
N = 35
Certificate of school
attendance
Expected qualification at 16
2
Compulsory
Secondary Education
Certificate
30
Acquired at older age
3
Upper secondary
education
Expected qualification at 18
6 (certificate)
Acquired at older age
4 + 4 (ongoing)
Intermediate
vocational education
Expected qualification at 18
6 (certificate)
Acquired at older age
7 + 3 (ongoing)
Advanced professional Expected qualification at 20-21 2 + 1 (ongoing)
training
Acquired at older age
1 + 10 (ongoing)
University
Delayed
Access at usual age
2
Access at older age
3
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
10.0%
57.1%
62.5%
78.6%
60.0%
While in the protection system
Facilitating factors to continue in education (1)
Permanency of placement
 Having a stable key adult in their lives
 Staying at the same school
 The prioritising of education in their foster care
 The carer’s high level of involvement in the issue of
education
 The carer’s high expectations with regard to education
 Carers and teachers transmitting the value of education:
education is the key to leaving their situation of great
social difficulty behind them.

Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
(2) 
Inclusion in a group of friends outside the protection
system and very much integrated in the education
system; acts as a reference group but also as a group to
which the young person belongs, fostering a positive
social identity and therefore to some extent neutralising
their being labelled.
 The involvement of the school, a friendly attitude which
is adapted to children in care.
 Participation in “normal” leisure-time activities.
 Maintaining relationships with siblings if desired.
 The importance of listening to the opinion of these young
people and taking it into account,
 Better in a foster family or residential home with only few
places, although the type of placement in itself is not
sufficient condition for achieving these objectives.
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
When they leave care
Facilitating factors to continue in education

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Having a stable key adult to turn to.
Receiving educational guidance that promotes postcompulsory education in accordance with their future
preferences and aspirations. Not focusing only on
immediacy.
The involvement of the school in preventing the young
person from abandoning education, taking into
consideration their difficult circumstances.
The existence of housing support services, grants for
continuing studying and personalised ongoing support
for those who require it, in order to reduce the fear and
insecurity they feel when they reach adult age without
family support.
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Factors emphasised by each of the groups
Young people
Demonstrating
that even
though they
have been in
care they can
study and get
ahead like the
others.
Fighting
against the
label they are
given
Local Social
Services
Lack of global
planning with
regard to
child policies
to include
resources,
training,
assessment,
research, etc.
Social
educators
Economic
factor; they
suffer a
great deal
thinking
about the
children’s
future.
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Teachers
The
response of
the school:
the
programmes
they have
and their
limitations.


“...I have never showed any signs that I lived with my
grandparents, I was a normal person. No one ever
noticed… (…). Until… my sister’s teacher found out
and asked me if it was true that we lived with my
grandparents and I told her it was. And… well, she
said she would never have imagined that we lived
with my grandparents. Because we weren’t conflictive
people, … we didn’t have any problems, … it wasn’t
noticeable. It was as if we lived with our parents, (…)
we led a normal life.” (Maria, 20).
“Value yourselves, do everything for yourselves
because nobody in this life is going to love you or help
you. That’s the idea we go out onto the streets with”
(Álvaro, 20)
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010

“Because I want to study, and… I want
to be someone, I want to better myself, I
want to work, I want to make money, …
not just for the sake of it… but, make the
effort to climb the rungs of the ladder,
(…) but I have a lot of fear, because I
get very stressed and… sometimes… I
don’t know… I don’t think I will be able
to handle it all.” (Zoe, 19).
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
4. Some recommendations
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Key areas for improvement
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Making their education the main priority.
Accepting their identification as a group with
specific educational needs.
Avoiding changes in residential homes and
schools, working towards permanency.
Increasing collaboration between departments
and their respective services.
Improving expectations with regard to the group.
Innovating to meet the current challenges posed
by the child protection population.
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
Final considerations



A high number of young people in care are delayed at
school after entering the protection system. Most of them
leave the protection system suffering even greater delay
or not having finished compulsory studies.
Our sample, those showing educational promise, are
exceptions, even in some way “heroes”.
How can the welfare system (the child protection
system) and the post-care support system compensate
for deficits and delays? How can we promote equality of
educational opportunities for these children? Without first
establishing education as a major priority such
challenges would seem to be insurmountable.
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010
All reports are available at http://tcru.ioe.ac.uk/yippee
Casas, F. & Montserrat, C. (2010). Young People from a Public Care
Background: establishing a Baseline of Attainment and Progression
beyond Compulsory Schooling in Five EU countries. Sonia Jackson and
Claire Cameron (Editors).
Casas, F., Montserrat, C. & Malo, S. (2010) Young people from a public
care background: pathways to education in Spain. The case study report.
Casas, F., Montserrat, C. & Malo, S. (2010) Spanish national report
summary: Education and young people from a public care background.
 Other references:
Casas, F. & Montserrat, C. (2009). Sistema educativo e igualdad de
oportunidades entre los jóvenes tutelados: estudios recientes en el Reino
Unido. Psicothema, 21,4, 543-547
Montserrat, C. & Casas, F. (2010). Educación y jóvenes ex-tutelados:
revisión de la literatura científica española. Educación XX1, 13,2
 Contact:
ferran.casas@udg.edu
carme.montserrat@udg.edu
Ferran Casas - Carme Montserrat 2010