Building Resilience Beyond Retribution: Inclusive Psychosocial and Educational Practices for Justice-Involved Youth in a Philippine Residential Rehabilitation Center

Abstract

Residential rehabilitation is most meaningful when it prepares young people not merely to comply within institutional settings, but to navigate life with greater resilience, agency, and competence beyond them. This qualitative study examined the psychosocial and educational practices that justice-involve youth or Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) and program implementers in a Philippine residential rehabilitation center associated with meaningful rehabilitation, resilience-related capacities, and readiness for reintegration. Guided by Utilization-Focused Evaluation, data were generated from 16 CICL residents and 12 Helping Team members, through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, field observations, and documentary reviews. Thematic analysis revealed seven interconnected practices: usable self-regulation strategies; relational safety; rights-sensitive spiritual and values reflection; experiential, literacy, life-skills, and vocational learning; individualized and participatory multidisciplinary case management; family- and community-linked transition planning; and consistent intervention delivery supported by staff capacity and well-being. Participants associated these practices with improved emotional regulation, more deliberate decision-making, stronger relationships, greater practical and learning-related competence, enhanced agency, and a more hopeful orientation toward the future. The findings indicate that rehabilitation gains meaning not simply through the presence of programs, but through how responsively, relationally, and consistently they are delivered and connected to life beyond the institution. Although the study does not establish post-release desistance or enduring resilience, it demonstrates how residential rehabilitation can cultivate portable capacities that may strengthen reintegration. For special and inclusive education, the findings underscore the importance of individualized learning, educational continuity, meaningful participation, and coordinated transition support linking the child, family, school, and community.