Transition to adulthood: The EQUIP Program

1
Transition to adulthood The EQUIP Program

• Véronique Noël, Association des centres jeunesse
  du Québec
• Martin Goyette, École nationale dadministration
  publique
• Marie-Noële Royer, École nationale
  dadministration publique
• Geneviève Chénier, Association des centres
  jeunesse du Québec

2
Transition out of YC

• In Quebec, foster youth exit youth centres at 18
  years old
• Every year, about 500 youths turn 18 and have to
  go on independent living
• They rarely return in their birth family

3
Problem situations

• Youth in foster care often experience
• Important psychosocial difficulties
• Lack of planning for independent living
• Lack of social bonds
• Difficult link to employment

4
Equip program

• Pilot project 2001-2005
• 80 youths 16 years old who come from four
  different regions
• 8 caseworkers take on the follow-up of 10 youths
  each
• Mandatory for preparing youth for independent
  living
• Intervention spans over 3 years

5
Equip objectives

• To prepare and oversee the transition from youth
  to adulthood
• To integrate 75 of participants into the labour
  market or provide job training when they reach 18
  years old
• To develop support and help networks within the
  community and the family when it is possible.

6
Evaluation methodology

• Several sources
• Clinical tools data collected by workers
• Interviews with Equip workers
• Interviews with youths (n61) life history
  interview, biographical calendar and
  questionnaire about networks
• Studying change in a transition context
• 2 measures
• With control groups
• Non Equip foster youths
• General population (students)

7
Evolution of youth profile severity and personal
disposition scores
 
8
Evolution of youth functional autonomy
     
9
Support dynamic

• Youth
  Support

10
dynamic

• Link of support to youth
• Inhibitory transition blockade
• Vector facilitated by accompanying guide
• Resource oriented facilitated by orientation to
  resources
• Link of youth to support
• Dependence transition stagnates
• Independence appearance of autonomy
• Interdependence involvement in the project

11
Integration process

• Constructive wandering Illustrates a youth
  moving towards his projects to integrate at least
  2 out of the 3 axes of Equip.
• Vulnerabilizing wandering Illustrates a
  blockade situation or a regression in reaching
  Equip objectives in at least 2 out of the 3 axes
  of Equip.

12
Trajectories
Stable and constructive trajectory(0)
Descendant and vulnerabilizing trajectory (-)
Ascending and constructive trajectory ()
Stable and vulnerabilizing trajectory (0-)
13
Trajectories

• 56 of youth follow a constructive trajectory at
  the end of the pilot project
• 44 follow a vulnerabilizing trajectory

14
Importance of Equip

• Results indicate the importance of a program like
  Equip
• Innovative intervention model worker is oriented
  towards the community and works with the
  resources.