Residential home for migrant children and adolescents in Burgos (La Senda 2)

The Residential Home for migrant children and adolescents in Burgos, “La Senda 2”, provides residential care for 9 minors in the protection system through the contracting agreement formalised with the Gerencia de Servicios Sociales de Castilla y León. Specifically, it is a centre for the immediate or emergency care of minors at serious risk of lack of protection. 

Through this residential care service for migrant minors aged 6 to 17 subject to protection measures or actions, the aim is to guarantee comprehensive, continuous care adapted to the needs of minors in situations of lack of protection, with a normalised lifestyle, promoting, where appropriate, their return to their family environment, and fostering the development of their abilities and independent living. 

Among others, the Centre offers the following general services and benefits: 

1. Accommodation and shared living. 
2. Meals. 
3. Support at school and promotion of Spanish language learning. 
4. Psycho-pedagogical and social care. 
5. Family support and guidance, as far as possible for each minor. 
6. Occupational, training, personal development, work-related and other activities. 
7. Leisure and free-time activities. 
8. Relations with the surrounding environment… 

 The methodological principles underpinning the services and benefits listed above are as follows: 

1. Comprehensive care: This means that the intervention carried out with the minors must cover the entire period of their life at the centre and take into account all the dimensions of their lives. 
2. Pedagogy of everyday life: The daily life of the centre is an important intervention tool and the fundamental space for educational action. It means turning everyday moments and situations into educational experiences that take the place of family education. 
3. Adult attachment figure or key educator: This is an individualising element of educational intervention that guides and empowers the child or adolescent in their development. They are the minor’s attachment figure for as long as the minor remains at the centre. 
4. Affective and motivational support: Situations are fostered through which new, more adaptive strategies can be developed for regulating their emotions and controlling their behaviour, factors that are relevant in acquiring self-concept, self-esteem and the appropriate expression of feelings.  
5. Methodological diversity: The socio-educational intervention methods applied take into account the principle of individualisation and, therefore, the particular characteristics of each minor. 

 In addition to the above principles, our methodology is based on the following methodological principles:  

• Activity: children and adolescents are active agents in building their own personal development, fostering meaningful learning experiences and establishing cognitive networks between their prior knowledge and experiences and the new ones to be learned. 

• Communication: in the care provided there is continuous interaction between the children and adolescents and the educational team, so that the latter are accessible and emotionally close, devoting time to their relationship with each child and fostering playful, positive and trustworthy interactions. 

• Subsidiarity: the Home uses public resources in the areas of health and mental health, education, socio-cultural activities, employment promotion and professional intervention, as well as any other area affecting their well-being. In addition, whenever necessary to fulfil guardianship obligations, private resources are used. 

In addition to the coordinator, the professional team is made up of different professional profiles: social educators, a social worker, educational assistants and a general services assistant.