Lopes, Maria MartinsGrangeia, HelenaSantos, Anita2021-04-122021-04-1220212182-9381http://hdl.handle.net/10400.24/1537Although Portugal presents a high percentage of young people in residential care, research on the subject is scarce, and rarely takes into account the narratives of the young people themselves. The present study was conducted with the aim of understanding how young people in residential care face the process of autonomization. The participants were 11 young people, between 15 and 17 years of age, who were living in a Residential Care Center in the northern region of the country. A document analysis grid was used to analyze the processes of young people, at an initial stage. Then, a semi-structured interview was conducted, in order to understand the point of view of young people about the context in which they are inserted, their view on the residential care process and their perceptions about leaving the institution. The results suggest that residential care is experienced in an overall negative way by the young people interviewed, since they perceive it as a break of emotional bonds. Despite all the difficulties that emerge during the institutionalization period, they report some positive changes, namely in terms of decreasing disruptive behaviors and substance use. The results also seem to indicate that these young people do not have the necessary skills to face the process of autonomization.engYoung peopleResidential carejournal article