Abstract
Aim of the study is to provide an insight into the experience of residential care from the perspective of beneficiaries and experts. The data was collected in two male residential units. The results show that adolescents and caregivers tend to have a negative attitude toward residential care. Adolescents are even more skeptical about the purpose of treatment since they experience shortcomings in the activities and the methods of treatment, as well as monotony and stigmatization by the local community. Caregivers highlight their disappointment regarding the inadequate intervention system and the complexity of working with children with multiple risks and problems.
Highlights
Separating a child from its family and placing it in institutional care is, in most cases, an intervention at the very end of the intervention spectrum, which happens only after various other opportunities and services in the community have been exhausted
This paper focuses on the residential care experience of adolescents and caregivers in the Republic of Croatia
The Aim and Research Questions This paper aims to gain a deeper insight into the experience of residential care from the perspective of beneficiaries and experts
Summary
Separating a child from its family and placing it in institutional care is, in most cases, an intervention at the very end of the intervention spectrum, which happens only after various other opportunities and services in the community have been exhausted. Institutional placement over a specified period is designed to effect a reduction in behavioural problems, to provide care for everyday needs, and to encourage positive changes in the lives of children and adolescents (Harder, Knorth, 2014). Each institution is a unique, dynamic social system, and institutional treatment should carefully integrate elements such as the theoretical foundation, respect for the psychological and social needs of children and adolescents, and creation of a supportive social and physical environment (Daly et al 2018) These elements are logically imposed in almost all therapeutic environments; research on the effectiveness of residential care is often expressed by the “black box” metaphor, as it is not yet entirely clear how positive outcomes for children and adolescents occur (Harder, Knorth, 2014; Leipoldt et al 2019). In other words, having an influential adult person to whom they can turn at any time while staying in the institution is of utmost importance to them
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