Practice Profile: Interventions Targeting Street-Connected Youth

Interventions that aim to improve the situation of street-connected children and young people. The practice is rated Effective for family functioning, but Ineffective for alcohol use, depression levels, delinquent behaviors, and internalizing behaviors.

Practice Goals/Target Population

Street-connected youths are children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 24 who are living and working on the streets. There are varying definitions of street-connected youth. Some youths may return home to their families at night, while others may stay in hostels or homeless shelters (Coren et al. 2013). This group also includes children who are stateless or migrating, as well as those with or without families. Further, this group may overlap with runaways, homeless youths, youths who have been trafficked, those who have been subjected to child labor, those who live in institutions, and children who live in slums, squatter settlements, or hostels. Street-connected children are not a homogenous group; instead, girls and young women experience different risks from what boys and young men do. Further, defining features of street-connected children and young people is their resilience, agency, citizenship, decision-making, and need for participation rarely than solely protection.

The overall goals of these interventions are to 1) reduce the risks that coincide with living and working on the street, such as early sexual activity and substance misuse; 2) promote inclusion and reintegration into society; 3) increase literacy and numeracy; 4) promote access to education, training, and employment opportunities; and 5) promote a healthier lifestyle, including mental health and self-esteem (Coren et al. 2013). 

Practice Components

Interventions targeting street-connected youths generally focus on inclusion, reintegration, and harm-reduction strategies that serve children and young people while they are living on, or closely connected to, the streets. Inclusion, as defined by the World Health Organization, is action aimed at 1) promoting full and equal inclusion in social systems, 2) providing universal access to socially acceptable living standards as defined by the International Labor Organization, 3) promoting and respecting cultural diversity, and 4) addressing unequal inclusion and extreme exclusion (Coren et al. 2013). Reintegration occurs when children and young people enter a residential or educational environment that has the potential to provide them with elements of physical safety, medical care, nutrition, counseling, education, inclusion in social and economic opportunities, and room for recreation and personal and spiritual growth that may promote long-term positive life chances. Harm reduction is defined as interventions aimed at reducing the harms associated with the lifestyles of street-connected youth, such as early or risky sexual activity and substance use. These therapy-based strategies often focus on specific problems generally found among street connected youth. For instance, interventions aiming to improve the situation of street-connected children and young people may include educational projects, vocational training, HIV prevention and/or family therapeutic programs. Educational projects provide street-connected youth access to academic instruction, including the opportunity to sit for basic examinations and obtain certifications (such as a high school diploma). Vocational programs offer youth training to obtain more work-related skills. HIV prevention programs seek to increase youths’ knowledge about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, while also targeting various risk factors such as unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, and the sharing of injecting equipment. Family therapeutic programs are therapy-based programs targeting both the youths and their families, with an emphasis on family functioning, family cohesion, and family conflict.

These types of interventions are often single projects, drop-in centers, or peer education interventions. Interventions can occur within the framework of a formal schooling system or in a nonformal setting. Notably, while engaging in an intervention, children may still be living and working on the streets. It may take years for children to be fully reintegrated or included in mainstream society.

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

Ennew, Judith. 2000. Street and Working Children: A Guide to Planning. London, England: Save the Children.

West, Andrew. 2003. At the Margins: Street Children in Asia and the Pacific. Washington, D.C.: Asian Development Bank.

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Ecologically Based Family Therapy (EBFT) for Substance-Abusing Runaway Adolescents

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?