Publication Type

Journal Article

Book Title/Conference/Journal

Children and Youth Services Review

Year

1-2019

Abstract

While there is evidence from the self-determination perspective for the positive impact of self-determination interventions on at-risk youth's transition outcomes, no research to date, has attempted to understand youth needs from both social service provider and youth client perspectives in the same study. The present study sought to generate a nuanced understanding of youth needs. For this purpose, the study was conducted in two phases. In phase1, twenty-one social service professionals (case workers, social workers, counsellors, program supervisors) were interviewed to get an understanding of their perception of youth needs and how they are being met. In phase 2, 45 at-risk youths aged between 15 and 25 were interviewed to get an understanding of their perception of their most essential needs and how they are being served or under-served. Participants also completed a short survey on needs satisfaction,life satisfaction and resilience outcomes. Results revealed misalignment between the social service programmes and youths' articulated needs. The findings point towards the importance of considering the specific role of the psychological need for autonomy and relatedness in bridging the gap between service provision and client expectations. Recommendations for intervention researchers and practitioners are proposed.

Keywords

Youth, Social service, Singapore

Disciplines

Asian Studies | Family, Life Course, and Society | Social Work

ISSN/ISBN

0190-7409

Publisher

Elsevier

DOI

10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.02.015

Version

acceptedVersion

Language

eng

Copyright Holder

Authors

Format

application/PDF

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.02.015

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