Exit training for youngsters in residential care. Treatment to prevent homelessness

Abstract

Exit-Training (ET; in Dutch: VertrekTraining) is a newly developed treatment program jor juveniles who are at risk of becoming homeless after leaving an institute for residential care. The juveniles (15 years and older) are selected for ET with a specially developed screening instrument. ET is intensive and short: the training lasts ten weeks; the trainer works with every juvenile on an average of about twelve hours a week. The main objective of ET is to prevent homelessness. Important objectives in every training are: 1. finding and keeping a stable place to live; 2. creating and keeping a legal and sufficient income for living and spending money in an adequate way; 3. finding and keeping work and/or school; 4. creating and keeping a network for social support. ET has two characteristic elements: enhancing of social competence and enhancing social support. ET is developed in a long term experiment and development project which started in 1994 by the Netherlands Institute of Care and Welfare (NIZW), in co-operation with the Paedological Institute, Department of Behaviour Therapy (Amsterdam), 'Bureau Instap' (an organisation specialised in working with homeless youths), and the Research Centre for Youth Care (University of Leiden). The project consists of three stages: a preparation stage, a demonstration stage, and a consolidation and diffusion stage. The ET project is accompanied by independent empirical research. This empirical evaluation leads to the conclusion that ET is a feasible program for youngsters at risk of becoming homeless and has promising results. Up till now the target group oj ET contains high risk juveniles. At present applications for a broader target group are being developed.