Social skills in children and adolescents in residential care with Collaborating Families and their relationship to their perceived support and life satisfaction

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the social skills of 37 children and adolescents in residential care, participants in the Collaborating Families program, from their own perspective and that of their 37 educators. Children perceived themselves to have greater social skills compared to the assessment of their educators, although the mean scores of both informants were at the community average. A better self-perception of social skills was related to greater social support from the collaborating families, as well as to greater life satisfaction. Based on these results, some practical implications for intervention in residential care and for the development of the family collaboration resource are discussed.