Factors that Influence the Adolescents‟ Transitioning Aquino

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Factors that Influence the Adolescents’ Transitioning

From Residential Care to Life Outside the Institution

REGINA ISABEL O. AQUINO

University of the Philippines, Diliman

In contribution to the humanistic movements towards child protection and their reintegration to
the society, this study identified the influencing factors to transitioning, which was defined as the
process of preparing the adolescents to life outside the residential care facility. The researchers
utilized a basic qualitative research design. Six adolescents and one administrator participated in
the study. The data was gathered using a semi-structured interview schedule and analyzed using
thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The researchers derived two main themes, internal
(factors coming from the adolescent) and external (factors coming from the environment). Each
of these was categorized into two sub-groups: facilitative (helps transitioning) and hindering
(impedes transitioning). It was found out that there are 2 internal facilitative factors—the
adolescents‟ faith in God and resilience, while there is one internal hindering factor—fears and
anxiety. On the other hand, there are 3 external facilitative factors—training for daily living
skills, services, and social support, while there are 2 external hindering factors—restricted
environment and lack of transitioning programs.

Looking at the streets is like looking at a mirror that reflects another form of reality. Growing up in a life
of comfort and security, we have failed to appreciate the value of simple little things such as potable
water and clean bed. Not until we began looking into the situation of the deprived children living in the
streets. According to West (2003), these children were commonly perceived as homeless and orphaned,
yet if we look more closely to their situations, they are living in the streets for various reasons. United
Nations International Children‟s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) categorized these children into three
groups: children of the street, who lives in the streets without their families, children on the street, who
works at the street and come home to their parents, and street family children, who lives in the streets
together with their families (Anderson, 2012). Statistics show that 75% of the 200 000 street children in
the Philippines have families to return to, but they spend most of their day in the streets working,
scavenging or begging. On the other hand, the remaining 25% live on the streets due to physical or sexual
abuse and abandonment (Silva, 2002). With all these in mind, we could not help but ask—what kind of
support and protection to these children get? According to Yacat (2011), residential care serves as the
immediate care provider to the abused, neglected and abandoned children in the Philippines. He also
pointed out that this is a place where the children‟s basic needs (food, shelter and clothing) are being
provided. Moreover, other needs are being addressed by programs and services offered by the institution.
Some of which are educational services, health services, recreational and other cultural activities, and
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spiritual enhancement. In addition, residential care fulfils the role of family figures that are responsible to
give them unconditional care and support until they become capable to reintegrate into the mainstream
society (Premsingh & Ebenezer, 2013).

Pleasant as it may seem, living inside a residential care has its drawbacks. As a result of the holistic form
of care offered in the institution, the children‟s independence and autonomy were not being developed
(Dunn, Jareg & Webb, 2003). Growing up in a restricted environment where contact with people from the
outside was reduced, the child may develop dependency on the institution (Yacat, 2011). However, it is
inevitable that as these children reach maturity, they will be expected to leave the institution to live a life
of their own since it is not feasible that all children could be accommodated by the institution forever. If
leaving the residential care is bound to happen, it is relevant to ask—how are they being prepared to their
life outside the institution? This study focused on the over-all preparations for these children‟s
independent living and reintegration to the society. That concept was represented by transition, a term
coined by the researchers. Transitioning pertains to the process of preparing the adolescents while
transitioned means that the all the preparations were already finished.

After reviewing the literature in the local context, there have been few published articles and relevant
researches that focused on transitioning per se. Taking that into account, this current study attempts to
provide an overview of the children‟s transitioning to mainstream society by answering the following
question—what are the internal (coming from the children) and external (coming from the environment)
factors that facilitate and/or hinder the transitioning of adolescents under residential care? This study
focused on the adolescents due to the assumption that transitioning process occurs around this age range.

According to Crombach et al (2014), one major internal factor that poses a threat in the child‟s
reintegration processes are the child‟s previous exposure to violence and other traumatic stressors. In
contrast, a study conducted by Bautista et al (2000), it was shown how resilience helps a child cope with
adversities, thus facilitates growth and recovery despite negative experiences. The researchers consider
resilience as an internal factor that facilitates child‟s ability to survive in life outside the institution
without depending too much on the institution.

Furthermore, recent studies have shown how the residential care environment hinders child transitioning.
According to Prisiazhnaia (2009), growing up in an institutional hampers the children‟s social experiences
and contact with people outside the institution, thus limits their understanding of a life in the context of
the mainstream society. In the study she conducted, she found several problems experienced by the
participants when they left the institution. A few of the problems mentioned were the following:
difficulties in finding a job, difficulties in relating with the new environment, law-related problems, and
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problems with everyday lives. In addition, Yacat (2011) identifies that the lack of preparation for adult
life in the residential care facilities promotes the children‟s dependency on the care-providing institution.
Aside from that, he also mentioned that leaving the long-term institutional care makes the children more
susceptible to antisocial behaviors and attachment disorders.

To prevent these things from happening, recent movements and advocacies were formed. Some of which
are deinstitutionalization and reintegration. Save the Children (2009) promotes deinstitutionalization and
reformation of the child care system by encouraging institutions to close down and reform their system
into other forms of alternative care. This could be achieved through legal and policy change and
relocation of its budget from institutional to foster-family care, kinship care, family-like care and
supervised independent living (Yacat, 2011). Moreover, Kauffman & Bunkers (2012) says that
reintegration, a process where the children are returned back to their families or relatives so that they
would be able to reintegrate to the community life. They pointed out that the key step in reintegration is
reunification, the process of bringing back the children and their family after a long period of separation.

METHODOLOGY

This study was conducted by a research team composed of four members: Regina Isabel Aquino,
Kathleen Jade Geonzon, John Gabriel Robert Quintos and Lin Victoria Villacorta. All the members of the
research team were undergraduate Psychology majors of University of the Philippines Diliman, who were
currently taking Field Research Methods course in Psychology (Psychology 118). This course gave the
researchers their first formal training in conducting field research.

The researchers chose a qualitative approach to take into account the participants‟ richness of experience
in their natural setting (Creswell, 2007). In this study, they utilized a basic qualitative research design, a
type of qualitative study that allowed them to understand how participants interpret their experiences and
construct meanings based on the their own reality (Merriam, 2009, p. 22-23). In order to collect
information about the participants‟ past or present behaviors, experiences, beliefs, opinions and
perceptions, the researchers used interviews as their data gathering method (Harrell & Bradley, 2009).
According to Percy et al (2015), semi or fully-structured interviews were typically used for data collection
in basic qualitative research design to educe the participants‟ ideas about real events that happened
outside of themselves. In this research, the researchers made their instrument, a semi-structured interview
schedule, where pre-determined questions were asked in a systematic order, yet the interviewer is
permitted to ask unscheduled probes, while is interviewee is allowed to digress (Berg, 2001, 70-71).
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This present study has encountered some methodological limitations. Due to time constraints and other
factors, the researchers explored only one residential-care institution. In addition, they also had no full
control over the selection of participants because the administrators chose who would take part in the
study. Furthermore, the researchers were not allowed to ask about the participants‟ lives and experiences
before they were sheltered by the institution. This precaution was made in order to prevent the possibility
of triggering the participants‟ regression. Aside from that, the researchers were not able to pretest their
instrument due to inability to recruit respondents that fit the participant‟s criteria.

The Setting

Prior to data collection, the researchers requested permission to conduct their study in residential care
facilities under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Unfortunately, the
government agency demanded the researchers to submit requirements that were difficult to accomplish
during those moments. Few days before the data collection period, they decided to pursue their study in
private institutions. They sent letters of request to several residential care institutions. Unluckily, their
requests were rejected and/or ignored. Fortunately, with the help of a gatekeeper, the researchers found a
residential care facility that accommodated them—the Helping Hand Foundation (not the real name of the
institution). Helping Hand Foundation is a part of a Christian organization based in Germany. This
institution runs three facilities. In 1992, Rehab Center (not the real name of the facility) was established.
This facility serves as a home for those who suffer from substance abuse. The rehabilitation programs
offered there helps the victims to become productive members of the society. Furthermore, in 2011, the
Drop-off (not the real name of the facility) was established. This is a short-term refuge facility that
provides the immediate care for the children living in the streets. This is also the place where the
administrators assess the situation of the children. The children at-risk were all sent to Jesus‟s Home for
the Children, a long-term residential care facility founded in 2001. All the children staying in this
residential care were traumatized, abused, or severely neglected. The interviews were all conducted here.

Participants

The participants were selected using purposive sampling, a non-probability sampling technique that is
used in studying a particular group of individuals who share the same knowledge and experiences
(Tongco, 2007). Six adolescents from the residential care institution (3 males and 3 males) and one staff
(female) participated in the study. They were selected by the institution‟s administrators based on the
researcher‟s participant‟s criteria. For the adolescents, they are required to be at least 16-22 years old and
must have spent at least 5-10 years of stay in the institution. The age requirement was based on the
assumption that adolescents‟ ages were around the range mentioned. The number of years lived in the
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institution was the researchers‟ basis that the participants selected stayed long enough in the institution to
have experienced the process of transitioning and other services offered by the institution. On the other
hand, there was no criterion made for the staff, allowing the administrators to select the person that has
the adequate knowledge about the programs and services offered by the institution. The interview with the
staff enabled the researchers to validate the statements of the adolescent participants.

Among the six participants who were adolescents, the researchers found out that four of them have
already transitioned, while the remaining two were currently in the process of transitioning. The four
participants who have transitioned were already given a choice—to continue living in the institution as a
volunteer/ staff or to live outside the institution. Two out of three decided to stay and work as a volunteer,
while only one chose to live in a boarding house. The three remaining participants were currently
transitioning, indicating that they still have time to prepare for that upcoming decision. All the
participants were approached by the researchers in face-to-face interviews. Additionally, all the
participants showed up and finished their corresponding interview sessions.

Ethics

The conduct of research was guided by the Code of Ethics for Philippine Psychologists (Psychological
Association of the Philippines, 2009). The researchers protected the participants‟ privacy and
confidentiality by changing their names in the research report and in the transcripts. The name of the
institution and its facilities were also replaced. In addition, prior to the interviews, the contents of the
consent form were explained to the participants. All participants agreed to record the interview sessions.
They also received a copy of their signed informed consent, where contact details of the researchers were
provided, allowing them to ask questions or convey their issues and concerns regarding the study.
Moreover, the researchers signed and followed the child care policy of the institution.

Procedure

The researchers constructed a semi-structured interview schedule as their primary research instrument.
Other instruments used were cellular phones that were used for voice recording, and computers that were
used in transcription and data analysis. There were two interview schedules made, one for the adolescent
and another one for the staff. The content was almost similar in both schedules, but the questions asked to
the staff were direct, reflexive and more respectful in tone. The questions in the interview schedules were
based on the researcher‟s existing knowledge on the topic as supported by the review of related literature.
Furthermore, to have a better communication between the interviewer and the respondents, the questions
were written in participants‟ mother tongue (Filipino). The interview schedules followed a progressive
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structure where less personal questions were asked at the beginning to more personal, in-depth and
reflexive questions towards the end of the session. A short break in the middle of the interviews was
indicated in the interview schedule as well.

Prior to data collection, the institution have received a copy of the interview schedules. Shortly, the
administrators proposed that the researchers conduct a group interview in order to save time. However,
the researchers could not make necessary changes on their research design to fulfil their request.
Consequently, the researchers and the administrator negotiated on methodology during their first visit in
Jesus‟s Home for the Children. The administrators agreed that the researchers may conduct face-to-face
interviews. One participant will be interviewed by a main interviewer and a co-interviewer. All interviews
should be done in the researchers‟ next two visits. This is done to prevent the children from getting
attached with the researchers. The first day of field work (April 23, 2015) was dedicated for settling the
interview appointments, discussion of other relevant matters (i.e. proper ways to address the participants,
the culture of the institution), and establishing rapport with the children living in the residential care. The
researchers played and interacted with the children. They were also able to ask the staff/ social workers
about the institution‟s programs and services offered for the children. The first visit gave the researchers
an idea on how to approach the participants during the interviews.

The actual data collection happened on April 28 and April 30, 2015. Three participants were interviewed
on the 28th and four participants (including the staff) were interviewed on the 29th. Each interview lasted
for approximately 60 minutes-80 minutes. The researchers also made sure to consistently validate the
participant‟s response during the interviews. Before each interview ended, the researchers thanked the
participants and gave them snacks to express their gratitude. After every data collection visit, the
researchers processed and discussed their experiences, thoughts, and insights about the interviews.

The week after data collection was allotted for transcription. After transcribing the voice recording of all
the interviews, the researchers compiled the transcripts for analysis. The researchers used thematic
analysis, a research tool characterized by its flexibility in identifying patterns or themes within the data
(Braun & Clarke, 2006). The researchers started out with defining general codes based on their existing
knowledge and experiences. Each researcher coded the transcript that they made. Afterwards, they put
together the data that had the same code, and then run the analysis using a combination of inductive and
deductive reasoning. According to Sternberg et al (2012), inductive reasoning is the process of arriving at
a conclusion derived from specific facts or observations, while on the other hand, deductive reasoning is a
process that aims to find a specific application of a previously known or general statements. The
researchers used deductive reasoning when they used the resilience themes of Bautista et al (2000), and
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used inductive reasoning to generate the themes that were derived from the data. All the significant
decisions were made due to a consensus within the research team.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Despite the inability of the researchers to choose their participants, they were still able to get an
interesting set of respondents. Each of the participants is a good source of information regarding
transitioning. The diversity of the respondents helped the researchers picture the participants‟ reality in a
holistic point of view. To provide the context where the participants were coming from, here are brief
descriptions of each one of them. The participants‟ aliases were given arbitrarily.

There are two pairs of siblings in our participants. Mary Ann and Jack Jayden are sisters, while Patrick
and Alfonso are brothers. The researchers did not know those details until the respondents told them in
the interviews. Patrick (20 years old) is the older brother of Alfonso. He does not live in Jesus‟s Home for
the Children, but in a boarding house near the college where he goes into. His younger brother, Alfonso
(17 years old) is still in high school and is living inside the institution. Patrick and Alfonso have stayed in
the institution since they were orphaned. Jack Jayden (16 years old) is currently in high school, and
staying in the residential-care facility. Meanwhile, Mary Ann (18 years old) her older sister, just finished
high school and is about to enter college. She is currently working for the institution as a volunteer. The
three remaining participants are working for the institution as well. Leila (19 years old) works as a
volunteer. She‟s also about to go to college but preferred to stay live in the institution. Likewise, Paul (22
years old) is working for the institution as a staff. He preferred not to go to college anymore. Before
working in Jesus‟s home for the Children, he stayed in Rehab Center for 5 years. Lastly the administrator
who represented the institution, Betty (29 years old) works for the institution as a houseparent. Just like
the rest of the participants, she also grew up in the institution. The participants‟ insights were carefully
considered and analyzed. Some of their statements will be quoted to validate the themes presented.

Factors that Influence an Adolescent’s Transitioning:

Internal vs. External Factors

The themes generated from the analysis were represented by Figure 1. The themes were grouped into two
main category : internal (coming from the child) and external (coming from the environment). The
categories was classified into two sub-groups: facilitative (helps transitioning) and hindering (impedes
transitioning). Each factors will be presented and discussed thoroughly.
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Figure 1: Facilitative and Hindering Factors in the Internal and External Factors of Transitioning

INTERNAL FACTORS

Faith in God

Studies have shown how the belief in a superior being or God is related with one‟s well-being. According
to Donahue & Benson (1995), religiousness and prosocial behaviors are positively corelated among the
adolescents. In addition religiosity influences an indivual‟s coping skills that are enhanced with the belief
that God is on their side (James & Wells, 2003).

In that sense, the researchers found out that most of the participants were religious. According to Leila,
“Kasi for me personally, I don‟t do anything without asking God and I don‟t think I can do something
na…without Him.” The researchers interpreted the participants‟ faith in God as a security blanket that
makes them feel assured of the decisions and actions they make in life. If the adolescent has faith in God,
then he/she feels more secured, thus feeling secured promotes good coping skills that one might be able to
utilize when he/she is already living in an independent life.
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Resilience

According to the administrators, all the children sheltered by Jesus‟s Home for the Children were once at-
risk (traumatized, severly neglected or abused). However, based on the participants‟ demeanor and
statements, it will be difficult to believe that these adolescents have undergone such adversities. In light of
their observaitions, the researchers inferred that there is a factor coming from the adolescents that helps
them recover and learn from negative experiences—resilience (Bautista et al, 2000). In this study, the
researchers utilized some of the resilience themes from Surviving the Odds: Finding Hope in Abused
Children‟s Life Stories, by Bautista, Roldan and Garces-Bascal (2000). Resilience facilitates transitioning
by giving the adolescents the strength to carry on even without the support or help from the institution.

Resilience themes: Accepting difficulties and adjusting to the demands of difficult situations

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This encouraging quotations explains best how the
adolsecents were able to adjust to difficult situations. They have the capacity to withstand the hardships
that they experience by not giving up so easily. When Jack Jayden was asked what is she going to do if
she failed to reach her dreams, she said, “I‟ll try again until there‟s something good”.

Resilience themes: Learning from life’s adverseties

Resilient individuals have the ability to learn from the negative experiences in the past. Instead of
dwelling on the negative effects brought by the adversity, they extract its lessons that would eventually
make them become stonger and better. Paul previously resided in the Rehab Center for four years. After
he went through the rehabilitation program, he left the institution to test his capacity for independent
living. He lived on his own without the financial support from the institution. It was not easy for him.
There were times when he had no money left to buy toiletries. But he did not dwell on the bad days;
instead he used that experience as a source of his life lesson. He said, “Masaya naman kasi mas natututo
ako… mas natutuo pa ako magsikap, mabuhay sa sariling paa.” Paul‟s resilience enabled him to survive
his life outside the Rehab Center. Despite of all the negative experiences he had before, during and after
the rehabilitation, he remained strong and courageous to keep moving forward.

Resilience themes: Self as a teacher and source of valuation

One of the faculties of the resilient person‟ mind is to decide for him/herself. He/she has ability to know
what course of actions should they take when experiencing difficulties, even when no one is there advise
him/her. The adolescents are found to be self-reliant and self-governing because they have the ability to
provide solutions to their problems using their own inner resources. According to Mary Ann,
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“Para sakin, enough na [preparations she received from the institution], kumbaga ikaw nalang
mismo sa sarili mo kung paano mo siya kukunin, kung ano yung natutunan mo, kung paano mo
siya i-aapply pag nandoon ka na [life outside].”

Resilience themes: Ability to be other-oriented

When Alfonso was asked about how will he be able to apply the things that he learned from the institution
to his life outside the institution, he said, “Pwede ko po itong ituro sa iba. Sa other kapwa. Pwede rin pag
nagtatrabaho na po ako, pwede ko tong gawin, ituro sa iba.” He was demonstrating his abilitiy to be
other-oriented, the capacity to show compassion and genuine concern to others and not just to themselves.

Resilience themes: Ability to resist temptation

Let‟s look at Paul‟s story again, before he was sheltered by the Rehab Center, he has done antisocial
behaviors like substance dependence and aggression towards other people. However, Looking at Paul
right now, he is far from what he was before. According to him,

“Kasi nung nasa labas ako mahilig akong manggulpi. Oo kahit mga babae, kung inaano ako. Pero
nung nagbago ako… parang gusto kong baguhin yung luma kong buhuay na gustong manakit.”

This resilient theme suits particularly the children who were former victims of substance abuse and
human trafficking. The ability to resist temptation is a child‟s capacity not to go back on his/her previous
lifestyle or old vices. Paul‟s resilience kept him from turning back into his old self.

Fears and Anxiety

The researchers derived one hindering factor that comes from the adolscents—their fears and anxiety
towards their future or a life outside the institution. Patrick said,

“Kasi po naisip ko na pagkatitira ako dun, wala akong kaibigan, parang panibago lahat sa akin.
Ganun…. Takot ako nabubugbugin nila ako… kasi meron po kasing ibang taong barumbado eh.”

On the other hand, Mary Ann said,

“Minsan, kumbaga pag ano yung- iniisip ko kasi siya ngayon minsan pag ano, naiisip ko na
„magco-college na‟ tapos iniisip ko, „Ano mangyayari after college? Anong susunod?‟”

According to Kirsch (1985; as cited in Bandura, 1986), due to an expected fear that people take avoidant
actions. In light of this, when the adolescent becomes to fearful and anxious towards an independent life
without the support of the institution, leaving the residential-care is less likely to happen.
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EXTERNAL FACTORS

Training for Daily living skills

The adolescents‟ training for daily living skills were one of the most salient themes. Most of of the
participants indicated that doing household chores (i.e. cleaning, cooking) have always been part of their
daily routine. In addition, the adolescents were also taught how to budget by giving them allowances
depending on their ages. According to Betty,

“In a way, tinuturuan namin sila mag budget. Yung mga maliliit binibilhan naming ng mga
toiletries pero pagdating ng 13, sila na yung bibili sa labas para matuto sila mag budget.”

In this sense, the adolescents have the developed a schema of living independently in terms of the daily
living skills that would help them in their life outside the institution. When Jack Jayden was asked about
the most important thing she learned from the institution, she said,

“How to take care of myself… Like for example, cook or clean or wash. They‟re getting me
ready if ever I‟ll go outside to be with myself. I know something what to do. (…) Mabuti yun kasi
may nagturo na sa akin. Kasi hindi ko na kailangang mag-tanong o magpatulong pa sa iba pang
tao.”

Social Support

According to Bautista et al (2000), a warm and supportive relationship with the houseparents and the
adolescents helps a child become resilient. Using the proposition earlier that if an adolescent is resilient,
then he/she had better chance of surviving the life outside the institution. Most participants expressed
their gratitude and postitive affect towards the institution, thus helping the researchers gauge the kind of
relationship between the adolescents‟ and the administrators/staff. According to Patrick,

“Dito ko lang po na-experience yung pagmamahal... Hindi katulad sa…parang hindi po…hindi
po binigay sa amin yun ng magulang ko. (…) Patay na po yung parents ko tapos di po namin
alam kung saan pupunta. So thankful na lang po ako na napunta po ako dito tapos inalagaan po
nila ako.”

Services

Helping Hand Foundation has programs/ services that are similar to what are offered in the residential-
care facilities under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) (Yacat, 2011).
However, the researchers only chose only four that they think were facilitative factors to transitioning.
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Educational services

Educational services gives the adolescents better opportunities for the life outside the institution because
it yields better chances of getting good-paying jobs. The institution provides a quality education system
They assess the children‟s educational needs in order to give them the appropriate educartional service.
According to Leila,

“For example meron kasi kami dito students that are a little bit behind in their age and knowledge
they have to go in a special school, we put them there.”

Some of the participants are enrolled in regular private schools, while some goes into a school that offers
an Alternative Learning System (ALS) program, a substitute source of knowledge and skills for those
who cannot access the formal education (Manila DepEd, 2015). In addition, the institution provides home
tutorials for the children and adolescents. They also support the finances of those adolescents who wish to
pursue college. According to Patrick, “Sa food, sila po yung nagbibigay sa akin. Tapos sa school,
sinusuportahan pa rin po nila ako.

Health services

To ensure that the children are physically and mentally healthy, health services were offered by the
institution. If the adolescents are healthy, they have better chances of survival once they leave the
institution. According to Leila,

“Yeah we, yung mga volunteers not so much, pero yung mga kids we bring them (mga check-up,
ganun?) at least once in three months or if needed every month so yeah”

Additionally, Paul also mentioned about the counselling programs he received. He said,

“Counseling… parang isang beses sa isang buwan. Tapos isang beses sa dalawang buwan, tapos
tatlo. Pahaba nang pahaba.”

Recreational and other Cultural Activities

All work and no play is not healthy for any growing child, therefore the institution offers recreational
services. The administrators organize workshop activities (cooking workshops, sports,etc) and outings/
fieldtrips as well. According to Jack Jayden,
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“Pumunta kami sa Mindoro beach, parang andun yung mga mga kids. Pag summer, pumupunta
kami dun…we‟ll stay there 3 days and nights, Like, we‟ll just spend time together there. Playing
together, swimming.”

The recreational services facilitates transitioning because it provides the adolescents more chances to
bond/interact with their peers and the staff. Moreover, the workshop activities makes them more well-
rounded because these foster practicals skills (cooking, desert-making, carepentry) that would be useful
for them in their life outside the institution.

Spritual Enhancement

Since the institution was founded by a Christian organization, services for spiritual enhancement is
considered necessary. According to Mary Ann,

“Magtuturo ng isang kwento tungkol sa bible, ganun, tapos ipapaliwanag sayo kunyari yung
creation, kung paano nangyari, yung ganun.Tapos minsan may games, o kaya may worship sa
bandang huli.”

Aside from providing the children an opportunity to enhance their social skills, the worship activities
strengthens their spiritual beliefs as well. Using the proposition mentioned earlier that faith in God
facilitates adolescents‟ transitioning, therefore, the service for spiritual enhancement helps in preparing
the adolescents in their life outside the institution.

Restricted Environment

Growing up in a long-term residential care environment is an impeding factor to the adolescents‟

transitioning (Prisiazhnaia, 2009). It was evident that the adolescents were influenced by the effects of a
restricted setting that hampers their social experiences with people outside the institution. According to
Mary Ann,

“Minsan kasi may time na hindi ako pwede pumunta sa...sa kanila o kaya sa bahay nila, ganoon.
Kaya madalas dito kami gumagawa ng project, ganoon. Minsan mahirap kasi parang tatanungin
ka ng mga classmates mo “Bakit bawal?” ganoon, tapos mahirap i-explain sa kanila.”

Aside from that, the life inside an institution is controlled and structured. There are certain rules and
regulations that the adolescents‟ need to follow. For example, they are not allowed to listen to non-
Christian songs, watch certain movies or read certain books. According to Jack Jayden,
Factors that Influence the Adolescents‟ Transitioning Aquino
From Residential Care to Life Outside the Institution Page 14 of 17

“Wattpad books. Kasi po once nalaman nila yan, pagagalitan ako sa mga Wattpad books. (…)
Pagkatapos nun. I‟ll just go to my bed tapos bubuksan ko yung speaker ko tapos… music. Pero,
pili yung mga music na-ipapatugtog ko. Christian songs. (…) Ahm, ipapa-delete sa akin lahat ng
mga kanta na secular song. Tapos imamake sure nila na sa USB ko walang kanta na secular song.
Babantayan ako.”

This way of living limits the richness of the adolescents‟ experiences, thus making them inflexible once
they transition out of the institution.

Lack of Transitioning Programs

One of the problems in a residential care facilities is the lack of preparation for adult life (Yacat, 2011).
This issue surfaced in the Helping Hand Foundation, where there were no sytematic programs designed
for the adolescents‟ transitioning to independent lives. According to Betty,

“Programs, hm, like yung what you said, we are a family so we try not really to have program na
mga ganun. But wala kaming masyadong [transitioning] programs so talagang like family.”

When an adolescent finishes high-school, he/she has the option to go college or not. If he/she wishes to
pursue the higher education, he/she will decide whether or not he/she will continue to live in institution
but as a volunteer or will live in a boarding house independently. The bottom line is that all decisions
regarding the life after residential care should come from the adolescents‟ themselves. The transitioning
process is not handled by the institution as one of their programs for the adolescents. This poses as a
threat to the adolescents‟ independent living because the lack of transitioning programs implicates lack of
the adolescents‟ awareness of a life outside the institution. Therefore, the adolescents‟ dependence and
over-reliance on the institution is more likely to happen. When Alfonso was asked about his perceived
success in the future, he said.

“Siguro, as long as I‟m here. Dito lang po ako eh. Dito po talaga ako. For the rest of my life; wala
po akong mapuntahan na lugar eh.”

Furthermore, the lack of transitioning programs evokes adjustment problems to the adolescents once they
leave the institution. Let‟s take a look at Patrick‟s story. When he left Jesus‟s Home for the Children, he
had no clue about independent living. He was not given advices or tips for surviving outside the
institution. He was informed that he was transitioning out the day before he left. According to him,

“Wala po kasi parang ang bilis ng pagka-alis ko dito… Parang ano, kahapon lang, ininform akong
anong…lilipat ako, magboboard ako. Tapos the next day, di ko alam na lilipat na pala ako, so
Factors that Influence the Adolescents‟ Transitioning Aquino
From Residential Care to Life Outside the Institution Page 15 of 17

ayun. Pero ininform po nila ako kaso nga lang parang ambilis eh. Wala. Pinaalam sa akin na,
ayun magboboard ka, ganun.”

Patrick also mentioned his difficulties in adjusting to life outside the institution. Some which are
adjustments regarding to the culture of the society. He was exposed to different behaviors that he was not
used to when he has growing up in the institution. He said,

“Yung mga friends po, kasi minsan inaaya nila akong mag-inuman, ganun. Niyayaya po nila ako
kaya nahihirapan po akong mag-decide kung gusto ko ba o hindi. (Pumayag ka ba?) Minsan oo,
minsan hindi. (Anong pananaw mo tungkol dun, sa pag-inom?) Mali. Di naman po kasi ako
pinalaking mag-inom.”

CONCLUSION

The concept of transition is relatively unexplored in the Philippine context. More often than not, the
institutional administrators were not able to prepare the adolescents for independent living, thus
stimulating the adolescents‟ dependency on the institution. This was even supported by the data that out
of four participants who transitioned, three chose to stay in the residential care as a volunteer/ staff,
instead of choosing the more independent life outside the institution. However, due to the internal factors
that comes from the adolescents like faith in God and resilience that transitioning is facilitated. In
addition, the support that they get from the institution in the form of love, affections, financial,
educational and others are also considered to increase the likelihood of transitioning. However, some
inevitable factors could also hinder their preparations. These are the influences of growing up in a
restricted environment and their fears and anxiety towards the life beyond the walls of the residential care
facility. Due to the lack of time and resources, the study was limited in terms of its generalizability.
However, based on the researchers‟ assessment of recently published articles and relevant studies about
transitioning, the study has given a fair overview of the adolescents‟ transitioning in Philippine residential
care facilities. Yet, in order to broaden the scope of knowledge about the concept being explored, it is
thus suggested that future studies be conducted in light with the topic of inquiry. Particularly, a
comparative study of private and public residential care institutions is highly recommended.
Factors that Influence the Adolescents‟ Transitioning Aquino
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