Academic training. A key competence in the transition towards autonomy in supervised youth

Introduction.  This study forms part of a wider investigation about the initiation of a training plan for protected youth in residential care in the community of Madrid: “Preparation Plan for Autonomous Living for 16-21 year olds”. The present article takes place at the time of initiating intervention processes of the Plan for Autonomy within protection centres. This enables relevant information about the initial diagnosis of the situation to be considered alongside future scenarios of young people aged 16 years old. Method.  To this end, a quantitative, descriptive and correlational analysis was carried out, and two questionnaires were developed: One directed towards young people and, another, towards education providers at the centres. 123 socio-educational professionals and 126 young people from 54 residential care facilities under the jurisdiction of the General Directorate of Family and Children in Madrid took part. Results.  Results reflect the need to design educational policies which favour educational success of these young people and bring their educational level in line with that of their peers. Discussion and Conclusion.  Likewise, it is imperative to offer educational support and adapt training programs towards participants so that they become fully trained and committed towards completing their studies.