Focus Group Description

FOCUS GROUP WITH CYCPs
22.12.2018, Sofia, Bulgaria

The focus group discussion took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the training room of FICE-Bulgaria. Three professionals took place – 1 social worker, 1 social service manager and 1 university professor. All of them have been working in this field for years and have received their relevan education in Bulgarian universities. They actively answered the questions of the facilitator, reaching the conclusions, that CYCPs do not receive enough training on financial literacy and enterpreneurship skills, as well as on how to train children and young people leaving care on these topics. The participants shared information about various good practices and examples of projects and other activities in the field. According to the participants, CYCPs themselves need to receive more training on how to teach children and care leavers on these topics. They need to be trained about interactive teaching methods that would help them attract children/ care leavers’ attention to the topics.

FOCUS GROUP WITH CYCPs
12.01.2018 and 17.01.2018, Germany

A total of 7 people took part in the interview, two of them moderators, in other words five respondents. The participants were:

• Mr. Norbert Scheiwe of Christophorus Jugendwerk Oberrimsingen, he is currently privateer, chairman of several registered associations (e.V.’s), as well as former general manager of Christophorus Jugendwerks
• Mr. Wolfgang Schmidt of Jugendhilfezentrum Johannesstift GmbH, CEO
• Ms. Nadine Schildt of Bergische Diakonie Aprath, CYCP, Educator in the inpatient youth welfare service
• Mr. Aslan Hussein, grew up in a foster family, from the age of 18 in a living group of the Diakonie for young men
• Ms. Dr. Severine Thomas of University Hildesheim, Institute for Social and Organizational Education, research assistant

FOCUS GROUP WITH CYCPs
10.01.2018, Poland

The Focus meeting took place on January 10^th, 2018 in the office of Samodzielni Robinsonowie Foundation. The attendees were members of the European Federation of Financial Professionals, a member of the board of Fundacja Młodzieżowej Przedsiębiorczości, the head of child care house and a member of the board of Robinson Crusoe Foundation. Thanks to such diversified choice of participants we were able to view the issue from various perspectives – working with children but also current budget managing tools and programs. The participants introduced themselves and were briefed on the objectives of the project and then they engaged in conversation. The subject of financial literacy and entrepreneurship is practically non-existent in the vocational education curriculum for Professionals and Children in foster care. Because of that fact the conversation focused on other available trainings and the educational needs of the Child and Youth Care Practitioners (CYCPs) and Future Care Leaver. We enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and shared mutual understanding in regards to the directions and methods of teaching.

FOCUS GROUP WITH CYCPs
10.01.2018 and 11.01.2018 Paris, France

The purpose of two separate interviews was to give both of the groups enough space and freedom of speech to let us know about their feelings.  For the first group, there were Florence Gavirey who works in the integration department of the judicial protection of youths in seine-Saint-Denis (Île-de-France) as a social manager; and Assad Mohamed who works at the emergency reception department in Val-d’Oise (Ile-de-France) as a social assistant manager. For the second group, there were Sophia, Hugo who both went through an occupational retraining period before working as CYCPs and Katie who is working with young care leavers on their professional projects. Indeed, Sophia used to be in a private company, and then went through an occupational retraining period. She went through a CYCPs basic education and works now as a vocational counsellor. As far as this concerned Hugo, he studied in a business school and used to work as a product manager in marketing before being a CYCPs. And concerning Katie, she studied in a vocational education sciences master’s degree.  It’s interesting to point out the fact that all the participants had a specific approach and experience of the financial literacy and entrepreneurship either because of their vocational path/their statutes or because of their personal experience, but these focus group interviews give us a complementary point of view of the CYCPs needs and gaps about these topics.

FOCUS GROUP WITH CYCPs
16.01.2018, Vienna, Austria

The focus group interview took place on 16^th January 2018 in the Headoffice of Bundesverband Therapeutische Gemeinschaften (BTG) in Vienna. Six participants were expected to take part in the group discussion, unfortunately three of them cancelled their participation at very short notice due to illness (2) and an unexpected but crucial appointment (1). Two of them were interviewed separately by phone after their recovery. The participants in the focus group and individual interviews have the following profiles:Young care leaver (YCL) who was living in care from the age of 8 to 21. He has also been working as CYCP for approximately three years and is currently attending an Educational Institution for Social Pedagogy to become social pedagogue.Board Member of a private child and youth care provider with former management experience, working in the field of child and youth care for over 20 years.