specialises in research on child protection and looked after children, but also carries out studies into child victimisation and child welfare more generally. Adam Green is a qualified social worker and was a manager in a private organisation providing therapeutic residential care to severely maltreated children. He now works as an independent social work consultant to a range of children's organisations in the public, voluntary and private sector.
AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank all of the young people and adults who took part in this study for their willingness to discuss their lives in The Orchards and their lives currently; thereby making this important research possible. We would also like to thank all those who helped facilitate contact with these young people and adults. This aim of this paper is to advance knowledge concerning outcomes among the former residents of therapeutic children's homes, especially those located in England. Sixteen young adults who had been resident in one of seven therapeutic houses took part in interviews. It appeared, from the information they gave in these interviews, that their outcomes were good in terms of their emotional and behavioural well-being, physical health, accommodation, and absence of early parenthood and substance use. Some of the young adults also had good outcomes in respect of their education and absence of criminal convictions. A small number of the young adults did less well on these latter two measures but few of them were particularly poor in either of these respects. The young adults had limited contact with their family members. The evidence from this research is that young adults who have been in therapeutic residential care can have good outcomes.
Summary• Young adults placed as children in therapeutic residential establishments can have good outcomes in terms of their emotional and behavioural well-being, physical health, accommodation, and absence of early parenthood and substance use.• Some of these young adults can also have good outcomes in respect of their education and the absence of criminal convictions but for other former residents these outcomes are not as good, although none are very poor on either of these measures.• The young adults have limited contact with family members.• Policy makers and practitioners should continue to consider the placement of children in therapeutic residential establishments, especially where those children have acute emotional and behavioural needs that arise out of severe maltreatment.