Use of the concept of positive prevention in care and educational work in children’s homes

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show the possibility of using the assumptions of positive prevention and the model of multidimensional positive prevention in care and education in children’s homes. The article draws attention to the impact which the quality of care and education has on whether the children’s transition to independent living outside the facility is successful. Taking into account the specific nature of risk factors occurring in the lives of children in care, the article proposes to modify the traditional understanding of the preventive function of a children’s home. The proposed modification consists in organizing care and education in a way which focuses not only on reducing risk factors, but also on seeking, supporting and most importantly developing protective factors in the life of every child in care, with particular attention to the process of acquiring life skills. Moreover, the article describes theoretical and empirical assumptions of the multidimensional positive prevention model. This model relies on a logotheoretical concept of existence and opens up new perspectives for care and education, drawing particular attention to the multidimensionality of existence and the significance of sense-making values in encouraging an individual to be active. In teaching practice, it comes down to creating prevention programmes which are based on supporting and developing protective factors in relation to all dimensions of the children’s existence (biological, social, subjective and noetical), it demonstrates the way of putting this model into pedagogical practice, presenting the structure of the prophylactic programme ,,Support for multidimensional development of youth”.