Putting the Care into Residential Care

Abstract

There has been long-standing academic interest in the study of residential child care. Such study has made a valuable contribution to the development of both services and care practice. The perspectives of young people have, however, received less attention. This gap is most significant in relation to their group care experiences. Indeed the resident group is seen as a somewhat negative force and one from which children and young people require protection. This article uses data from one ethnographic study undertaken in Scotland to explore the ways in which young people in residential care offer one another support.• Findings: The findings from this study illustrate the various functions that the group serves for residents and the ways in which young people achieve status within such groups. In particular this article focuses on young people's use of support. It was found that support was provided in a number of ways, ranging from material provision to advice. • Applications: It is argued that whilst the individualization of care is necessary in terms of care planning and intervention, the experience of group living must not be overlooked. Practitioners need to have a clear sense of how their group is functioning and seek to encourage positive group behaviours.

Does sibling relationship matter to self-concept and resilience in adolescents under residential care?

“…Therefore, beyond the emotional discontinuities that characterize a family context of potential neglect, the transition to residential care is often associated with a sense of loss in the feeling of belonging and a sense of emptiness in the face to the unknown (Anaut, 2005;Spence & Matos, 2000). Thus, the way adolescents are welcome in the institution seems to make a difference in overcoming emotional barriers, and the role of significant figures such as the staff of the institution, peers and siblings is of special relevance (Beckett et al, 2006;Emond, 2003;Mota & Matos, 2010). Wekerle, Waechter, Leung, and Leonard (2007) suggested that the institutionalization affects the support network of adolescents, so most of the time, in face with the almost non-existent or discontinuous parental support, their support network is confined to figures from residential care.…”

Listening to Children in Care: A Review of Methodological and Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Looked after Children’s Perspectives

“…For some, this theoretical position was intertwined with understandings of childhood as a socially constructed phenomenon and a commitment to enabling children to express their constructions of their world. In at least six of the studies, this led to a research design that included children's participation throughout, or at specific points of, the research process (Emond, 2003;Freundlich and others, 2006;Mason, 2008;Mullan and others, 2007;Renold and others, 2008;Warming, 2006). All of the participative projects were qualitative.…”

“…Large residential establishments and clinics, where admission procedures, periods of intervention and types of intervention may be predictable, lend themselves to quasi-experimental studies and RCTs (see McNeal and others, 2006;Zegers and others, 2006). There are a small number of ethnographic studies of residential care that enable us to better understand peer-group dynamics and everyday living experiences (Abrams, 2006;Emond, 2003;Green, 2005;Torronen, 2006). Barter (2006), too, used observation alongside interviews and vignettes in residential homes.…”

Emotional dysregulation as a predictor of peer attachment perceptions of adolescents in residential care

“…After all, peers are "often the only 'chosen' and free relationships" adolescents have in residential care (Emond, 2014, p. 200). In a residential setting, the peer group can also act as an important resource for learning and stimulation (Emond, 2003;Morgan, 2009;Nobre-Lima, 2009). …”