Adolescents in care: life trajectories
The project scrutinizes the life trajectories of teens placed in foster families or children’s homes in the cantons of Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Lucerne, and Basel-City between 1950 and 1985 and investigate the limitations and possibilities experienced by them on their path to adulthood.
Project description (completed research project)
In the field of tension between welfare and coercion, the project investigates the lives of those teens placed in institutions and compare them to peers who were not institutionalized. We identify those resources suitable for ensuring education and social participation. The examination period, 1950 to 1985, is of particular interest, given the change that took place in youth welfare and vocational training during the time when the foundation was laid for the structures characterizing the present situation.
Interviews with contemporary witnesses play an important role for the investigation. Moreover, a bilingual workshop, a meeting, and an international colloquium have been planned to allow for exchange with the persons concerned.
Results
The summary of the results for this project are available here:
Original title
Adolescent in care and the acquisition of human and social capital: a comparative study of opportunities and achievements in four Swiss cantons (1950-1985)