Why do they stay on the streets? learning about the permanence of young people on the street

Abstract

The aim of this research was to generate knowledge on the factors that influence the desertion of street children and adolescents to residential facilities, as opposed to the factors that favor their permanence in their street group. 25 young adults’ stories about their street situation — for whom institutionalization was not effective—, were collected in the city of La Paz, Bolivia. From a criti-cal autoethnographic analysis, five learnings based on both, the experiences of residential care and organization practices of the street group were constructed. Recommendations are put for-ward both to improve the retention of children in foster care and to reduce professionals’ burnout when taking care of them. Further research from a multi-stakeholder and critical perspective, to design more sensible responses for children and for those who work in social services is needed.