Schools that Care The potential benefits and drawbacks of a non-residential alternative educational facility

Effective programs for youth with complex problems are urgently needed given their risk for school drop-out and (residential) out-of-home placement. The main goal of this dissertation was to examine the potential benefits and drawbacks of non-residential alternative educational facilities for adolescents with complex problems, to protect them from these negative outcomes, and work on their future perspective by diminishing problem behavior and strengthening protective factors. Therefore, this dissertation consists of:
•A systematic literature review (multilevel meta-analysis) on the outcomes of non-residential alternative educational facilities (chapter 2)
•A retrospective longitudinal study on characteristics of adolescents that predict (un)successful completion of School2Care (a Dutch alternative educational facility) (chapter 3)
•A cross-sectional study on differences between adolescents allocated to secure residential youth care and School2Care (chapter 4)
•A longitudinal study on the development of adolescents after their placement in School2Care, and the prevention of secure residential placement (chapter 5)
•A qualitative study on what adolescents, parents and teachers consider to be facilitators and barriers to successful outcomes of School2Care (chapter 6)
•A general discussion on the overall findings of the separate studies (chapter 7)