Adolescents in alternative care are at high risk of developmental outcomes. However, adolescence also offers avenues for positive changes and recovery from early adversities. To date, research has faced challenges in determining how adolescents’ psychosocial functioning changes during their time in care, and underlying mechanisms that contribute to resilience and wellbeing. Therefore, the question of “what works, for whom, and in what circumstances?” remains unanswered. The CAREFAL project draws on psychology, social anthropology, and public health to disentangle the developmental trajectories of adolescents in two alternative care settings (i.e., family foster care, residential care). This unique proposal aims to explore the differences across settings and how adolescents’ self-regulation interacts with the quality of their relationships with caregivers to promote positive outcomes. Additionally, CAREFAL aims at comparing the two cases of Spain and Portugal to optimize services and resources in each country. I will use a longitudinal, mixed-method, multi-informant, comparative approach to achieve the research objectives. The quantitative phase will involve a 6- month longitudinal study, incorporating data from caregivers, adolescents, and administrative records. This will be complemented by in-depth interviews with adolescents and caregivers. The research outputs will have: 1) scientific impact, as they will enhance our understanding of adolescent development across alternative care settings; 2) social impact, as they will equip families and professionals with evidence-based resources for improving adolescents’ self-regulation and caregiver-youth relationships; and 3) economic impact, as they will contribute to the specialization of alternative care and the efficient use of resources. By enhancing my expertise through conceptual, methodological, and communication training, I will be better equipped to showcase my abilities in both academic and non-academic markets.

The project focuses, first of all, on the priority of “tackling learning disadvantages in education”. The project will address the first signs of learning disadvantages in the first two years of primary education with the aim to prevent the further development of learning disorders. In order to tackle learning disadvantages, the project will provide: - primary school teachers with a) the knowledge to identify the socio-cognitive risk factors and first signs of reading-writing difficulties and the skills to address them by using effective digital solutions; b) a platform to assess determinants of reading and writing difficulties at an early stage; c) game-based activities to empower children’s fundamental cognitive processes of reading and writing. -1st and 2nd grade pupils with a game-based training on fundamental cognitive processes of reading-writing skills, personalising it to different environmental and individual profiles.

This project provides theoretically grounded evidence on who and why people would become a foster family. This will inform research and outreach strategies to ensure the children’s right to a family.

Research on the harmful effects of institutionalization across child functioning domains, especially on infants and young children, is well documented, as is the capacity for recovery following family foster care (FFC) placement. Despite this, in Portugal in 2020, only 3% of all out-of-home children were in FFC. Seeking to respond to the European calls-to-action for deinstitutionalization, the 2019 Portuguese law has reinforced non-kinship FFC as the alternative care measure for children up to the age of 6. As a result, massive recruitment, training, and selection of foster families began in the Lisbon Area.This system shift to FFC is challenging – e.g., it requires highly specialized services to meet foster family and child needs, and thus ensure sustainability. Child Welfare Practice Models (CWPMs) can be part of the solution, by strengthening consistency and quality in child welfare (CW) practice. As Portugal was lacking a proper model, a new CWPM – i.e., Modelo Integrado de Acolhimento Familiar (MIAF; Integrated Model of Family Foster Care) – was recently developed, covers the FFC full continuum, from the recruitment, selection, assessment and training of foster families (module 1) to foster care placement and child transition to a permanent solution (module 2). After the promising results of a first pilot, this proposal proceeds with MIAF's ongoing initial implementation process, based on cutting edge literature on social innovation and process evaluation.Both process (i.e., fidelity) and outcome evaluations should precede effectiveness testing and full implementation of a CWPM, allowing for timely improvements. Research on process evaluation suggests that it takes time for an innovation to be adopted and that identification of the multi-level factors (e.g., caseworkers’ burnout, unsupportive leadership) that can act as barriers for the successful implementation of a CWPM is crucial. Especially for an innovation in FFC in Portugal, such as MIAF, where evidence ...

AdoPt - Adoptive families’ strengths, difficulties and service needs: A Portuguese follow-up study is a project that aims to analyze the reality of Portuguese families after adopting children.

Several studies have shown evidences of psychological suffering among the younger generations and in particular in university students. The context of the pandemia COVID-19 has generated many more challenges, with increased impacts on this group. The resilient@uni project brings together a group of psychologists from different specialty fields (e.g., social, educational and clinical psychology) to explore the mental and physical health of this population, identifying potential risk and protective factors, at different levels, from intra-individual variables to social contexts. These results are aimed to inform appropriate intervention programs and policies to tackle this issue. This project was conducted in collaboration with students: Catarina Caseiro Guilherme Manica Joana Maciel Ricardo Marques Joana de Moraes