Investing in a Formal Relationship

Abstract

From the point of view of ecological and attachment theory, professional and non-professional support persons can be an important link between young persons placed in Swedish residential treatment centres (RTC), their families, and staff at the centre. Through interviews with 23 support persons, the aim of the study is to explore characteristics of the relationship between support persons and the young person, and the support persons’ experiences of obstacles to and opportunities for treatment involvement at the facility. The findings show that most support persons describe an emotional relationship with the young person, while a few describe an instrumental one. Most support persons report limited opportunities for treatment involvement, mostly due to facility staff’s non-encouraging attitude, whereas a small group report positive involvement strategies from both staff and social welfare agencies. It is noteworthy that those reporting positive involvement opportunities already have access to the facility because of their professional relation to the residents (e.g. as social welfare officer in charge of the resident’s placement). The importance of staff encouragement of relations between support persons and residents during the RTC placement is discussed.

Professional proximity in perceiving child sexual abuse in residential care: The closer the better?

“…Our findings add to earlier research on the role of professionals in reporting incidents and suspicions of CSA. For instance, Degner et al (2010) report on the importance of support persons for young people in residential care in Sweden (comparable with the frontline professionals in our study), for developing a relationship with the young clients based on trust, care and reciprocity. Support persons are professionals who maintain contact with the young residents very regularly, develop their relationships over time, and have the intention to become significant adults in the lives of these young people.…”

“…At the same time, children and adolescents might find it easier to confide in professionals they are very familiar with. From attachment theory and ecological theory, the importance of having a close and secure relationship for the development of trust, support and reciprocity, is well established (Bowlby, 1988;Bronfenbrenner, 1979;Degner, Henriksen & Oscarsson, 2010). Young people in residential care often lack a basic sense of trust in and support from their parents: this stresses the need for other significant adults, e.g.…”

Violence, role reversals, and turning points: work identity at stake at a therapeutic residential institution for adolescents

“…Alex suggests a meaning to the violence by noting that the girl had issues with younger staff. The relationship between staff and youth is a fundamental one (Degner et al, 2010). One reason Alex does not point out his relationship with the girl as a source of the violence could be because of inherent concerns regarding the relationships between male staff and girls at these institutions: male staff do not want to get too close to the girls for fear of being reported for abuse (cf.…”

“…The formal employment requirements are a secondary school diploma and a two-year post-secondary degree in social work. Nonetheless, staff rather often have no previous work experience or graduate training in the field (Briggs, 2004;Degner et al, 2010;Furnivall, 2018), and the institutions are not required to provide supervision for their staff (cf. Briggs, 2004).…”

Social Support and Mental Health of Young People in Residential Care: A Qualitative Study

“…Considering that young people identified both formal (e.g., educators) and informal sources of support (e.g., family, friends), the psychosocial intervention with them in residential care should consider the role of different elements of support (Degner, Henriksen, & Oscarsson, 2010). Therefore, given the positive role of established relationships with the family, residential care professionals, and peers, it is important to invest in these relationships during the placement in care.…”