Perceived Living Conditions of Young People in Secure Residential Care: Psychometric Properties of the Best Interest of the Child − Self-Report Questionnaire (BIC-S)

Abstract

The Best Interest of the Child − Self-report questionnaire (BIC-S) is designed as a tool to ensure young people in secure residential care have a voice about their living environment. The primary aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the BIC-S. Second, we wanted to map the experiences of young people with their current residential living environment. Therefore, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess the experiences of young people with the BIC-S instrument in this cross-sectional study. Based on a sample of 74 young people staying in secure residential care in the Netherlands (2015), we explored the construct validity and reliability of the BIC-S through a Mokken Scale Analysis. The sample consisted of 38 boys and 36 girls (mean age 15.5). After evaluating the psychometric properties of the instrument, we focused on the experiences of young people with their current residential living environment. The results show that eleven out of the fourteen BIC-S conditions form a moderate scale to measure how young people perceive the quality of their living environment (H = .40; Rho = .86). With regard to the residential environment, the participants often raise issues which relate to personal safety, to activities within the institute, or to the relationship they have with care professionals. The results indicate that the BIC-S has the potential to serve as an instrument for young people to voice opinions on their living environment while in residential care.Keywords Construct validity . Self-report questionnaire . Best interest of the child . Secure residential youth care . Mokken scale analysis Child Ind Res

Japanese residential care quality and perceived competency in institutionalized adolescents: A preliminary assessment of the dimensionality of care provision

“…Although these results were not replicated in a study based on Central American CWIs (Groark et al, 2013), the use of an in-depth dimensional measure of the rearing environment has nonetheless provided insights into the quality of these Central American CWIs in comparison with equivalent CWIs in Greece (Vorria et al, 2003). Other studies have focused on children's perceived group climate, defined as the quality of the social and physical environment provision that is sufficient and necessary for physical and mental well-being (e.g., perceived support from staff) (Strijbosch, Van der Helm, Stams, & Wissink, 2016;Ten Brummelaar et al, 2017). Results showed that positively perceived group climate was associated with positive outcomes of the children such as better coping, more empathy, and less aggression (Heynen, van der Helm, Cima, Stams, & Korebrits, 2017;van der Helm, Klapwijk, Stams, & van der Laan, 2009).…”

Foster care for unaccompanied refugee children

“…The higher the total score, the higher the quality of the caregiving environment. The BIC was completed by all participants, with the children using the self-report version (BIC-S; Ten Brummelaar et al, 2018); the foster carers using the version for parents (BIC-P); and the guardians using a slightly adjusted parental version (BIC-G).…”

“…The validity of the BIC-Q (version for professionals) -the basis for the development of all BIC instruments -has been examined; with the results exhibiting good construct validity (Zevulun, 2017;Zijlstra, 2012) and good reliability (Zijlstra, 2012). The construct validity and reliability of the BIC-S have also been examined, showing a moderate scale (H = .40; Rho = .86) for 11 of the 14 conditions (Ten Brummelaar et al, 2018). The reliability and validity of the BIC-P and BIC-G have not yet been examined.…”