Socio-educational accompaniment during formative itineraries with migrant youth in the protection system

Abstract

The child protection system accompanies foreign adolescents who are in vulnerable situations. The absence of primary social supports makes it imperative for foreign adolescents to acquire a high level of autonomy, which is essential to assuming a transition process to adult life that is shorter than that of the coexisting national youth. The formative qualification will determine the conditions of access to employment and the temporality of working life, both aspects being necessary to overcome the situation of social exclusion. This research analyzes the determinants of the formative itineraries of protected migrant youth as well as the most effective strategies to promote the educational goals. For this purpose, a longitudinal and qualitative study is carried out, consisting of two phases. In the first phase, carried out between 2011 and 2018, seven longitudinal follow-ups are performed, which resulted in 35 interviews. In the second phase, conducted in 2018, 21 autobiographical interviews are carried out that give rise to seven life histories. In addition, these narratives are complemented by the implementation of two discussion groups with the participation of nine professionals from the protection system. The average work experience in socio-educational accompaniment with this group is 92.15 months.  The results show that: I) Migrant youth in the protection system are driven to prioritize immediate access to employment, giving priority to economic income over medium-and long-term formative itineraries. II) The weight of the socio-educational accompaniment is borne by the specific protection resources, identifying a passive attitude of the formal education system, which places these young people in a situation of pedagogical and social vulnerability.