Yafit Sulimani-Aidan

‘She was like a mother and a father to me’: searching for the ideal mentor for youth in care

Recent studies of youth in out-of-home placements have indicated that a successful mentoring relationship in care is associated with better emotional, educational and behavioural outcomes in adulthood. The goal of this exploratory qualitative study is to describe the profile of a staff member who is able to establish a meaningful relationship with youth in care through the perspectives of 20 young adults aged 21–26 who left care in Israel. Findings revealed that the staff member who formed meaningful relationships with youth was the staff member who was available to the youth and familiar with their personal backgrounds, who was able to see them as positive and trustworthy and to provide guidance and support from a non-judgmental approach. One of the studys conclusions is that staff members who were able to transform their connection with the youth into mentoring relationships were those who were able to make the youth feel as if they were the staff members own children, and as a result feel cared for deeply and loved. The discussion addresses the barriers in forming a mentoring relationship with a formal professional and the ways to utilize these mentoring relationship components more effectively within the care system.

Present, protective, and promotive: Mentors’ roles in the lives of young adults in residential care.

Mentoring relationships are considered among the most significant relationships with nonparental figures and a protective factor against a wide range of negative outcomes. This exploratory study explored mentoring relationships in the lives of 140 care leavers, and the way those relationships influenced their life course. Findings showed that most of the mentors were known to the young adults from their former care placement for 3 years and above. Thematic analysis revealed 2 main “types” of mentor: (1) a present, accessible and supportive mentor, who is mainly characterized as a parental figure and a role model, a life coach who is also a confidant; (2) a motivating and catalyzing mentor, who is characterized as promoting adaptive coping with life stressors, and leading the young adults to set and achieve their goals and change their behavioral and mental status for the better. The discussion addresses the contribution of mentoring relationships to the young adults’ resilience in reference to social support and attachment theories. It discusses the importance of promoting a “mentoring policy” within the residential care settings, to enable youth to continue their relationships with their mentors during their challenging transition to emerging adulthood.

Challenges in mentoring at-risk young adults: caseworkers’ perspective

ABSTRACT This exploratory study examines the barriers, challenges and needs of 30 caseworkers who mentor at-risk young adults during the transition to adulthood. Professional mentoring relationships are an important source of support for at-risk young people. However, literature concerning the mentoring relationship from the perspective of the mentors is scarce. The theoretical thematic analysis revealed two major themes. The first theme- included challenges related to the young adults’ personal histories and characteristics. The second major theme related to the mentors’ expertise within their own services. The most dominant needs during the mentoring process were broad and current knowledge and ongoing training and support. The findings are discussed in relation to the mentoring literature and emerging adulthood theory. Implications for practice highlight the importance of the design and assimilation of programs that enable the promotion of meaningful mentoring relationships via organisational modifications.

Youth perspectives on parents’ involvement in residential care in Israel

Summary This exploratory study deals with biological parents’ involvement in residential placement in Israel from the point of view of 79 youth who left care. It presents youth’s retrospectives on their parents’ involvement in care and the degree to which the placement staff involved parents in reality. The youth functioning while in care and after leaving were also examined according to their parents’ involvement. Findings Results show that only a quarter of the youth reported that staff involved their parents on a regular basis. T-tests and chi square tests showed significant differences in functioning between young adults with high and low parental involvement. Youth whose parents were more involved had better educational achievement in care and after and reported significantly lower involvement in risky behaviors than those with lower parental involvement. However, no group differences were found regarding outcomes in adjustment to military service and financial status. Applications The findings emphasize the gaps in parental involvement in care by staff and the potential contribution of engaging biological parents in the lives of their children while in care and toward emancipation.