Resilience among Youth in the Process of Preparation for Leaving Alternative Care

Abstract

Young people leaving alternative care in Serbia face numerous challenges while they frequently lack formal and informal support for emancipation. Resilience and preparedness for leaving care increase their chances for successful transition and social integration. This article aims to understand the resilience of youth leaving care in Serbia and the relationship between resilience, type of placement (foster, residential or kinship) and preparedness for leaving care. Quantitative analysis of replies 134 adolescents leaving alternative care had made in self-assessment questionnaires showed: high resilience scores of subjects, lower resilience of youth leaving residential than foster care and interconnectedness between the resilience and most of the indicators of preparedness for emancipation. Results suggest that resilience: (a) could be fostered by improving mental health, structured leisure time, self-care and social skills, and by quality foster carers' support; (b) contributes to positive feelings and general positive attitude toward life; (c) is not connected to school achievements and support by family and other caregivers; (d) of care leavers had more to do with their skills to gain social support than with receiving support from family and the alternative care system. Future research could investigate emancipation outcomes of youth with different baseline resilience and preparedness levels.