Context quality and social-emotional competencies for children and youth in residential care – A scoping review

Context quality is a major factor in the development of social-emotional competencies in children and youth in residential care. However, the literature shows many problems around the environmental conditions for an adjusted and effective intervention by professionals. Moreover, the literature does not present an easy assessment tool to help professionals diagnose and enhance the ecological variables that influence the development of the needed skills. As such, we performed a scoping review to identify those main variables in the eco-system of residential care. We found that professionals’ qualifications, intervention characteristics, social climate, external support and activities, and professional burden are essential to creating the right conditions for professionals’ success in residential care. This study might lead to practical research among professionals to create a new tool to measure and help the professionals with their crucial work with children and youth in residential care.