Experience Of Residential Care Research Articles

Educational trajectories for residential care experienced young people are complex. A lived experience perspective from a PhD study in Scotland

Purpose Research highlights that residential care experienced children and young people in Scotland have poorer educational outcomes than their peers within the wider population. Despite this, poor educational attainment is not inevitable, and further research is needed to increase the understanding of long-term trajectories. This paper aims to address a gap in contemporary literature that is of benefit to practitioners, academics and policymakers. Despite experiencing adversity, attachment, separation and loss, school attainment data on leaving care only reflects part of the educational journey. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed methodology and social constructionist theoretical framework, a practitioner-led PhD study gathered data from questionnaires and qualitative information from 13 semi-structured interviews with young people who had experienced residential care in Scotland. Recruitment was through a gatekeeper within a national third-sector organisation. The educational trajectories for young people with experience of residential care in Scotland are complex. A lived experience perspective from a PhD study illustrates that statistical data only captures part of the journey and the author needs to reconsider how success is measured. Findings Of the 13 participants in the study, 12 achieved success educationally, although for the majority of those interviewed, attainment continued after leaving compulsory education. Barriers to greater success included placement uncertainty and movement, stigma, low expectations, pressure to not become a statistic, procedural obstacles and inconsistency or poor relationships. Research limitations/implications Supportive relationships and stable placements can create circumstances conducive to effective learning, but evidence reflects that support is necessary throughout the life course if children, young people and adults with care experience are to reach their full academic potential. Originality/value Research into the educational outcomes for those with experience of residential care in Scotland is limited. This paper, from a PhD, provides lived experience accounts from a practitioner-led study.

Reflections on Care Experiences Among Early, Middle, and Late Adolescents in Residential Care

Although most youth served in residential group care are adolescents, empirical theories indicate that youth needs vary at different stages of adolescent development. These differences likely impact adolescents’ experiences and, ultimately, responses to treatment; a neglected research topic that may have implications for residential placement and services. This study explored youth experiences in residential care at different stages of adolescence. A descriptive qualitative content analysis from a sample of 103 youths was used to classify open-ended text into categories among early, middle, and late adolescents. Comments showed similarities and differences across developmental stages in six categories—general views on placement, relationships, needs and supports, safety, autonomy and control, and growth and development. Youth in late adolescents were more contemplative about their time in residential care, with comments reflecting a need for more autonomy, while expressing how residential care has helped with future endeavors and goal planning. Middle and early adolescents’ experiences were more varied. Early adolescents focused on relationships outside of care and discussed support needs differently, compared to middle and late adolescents. Our findings suggest that experiences in residential placements differ in important ways across stages of adolescent development.

“I hope my voice is heard.”: A mixed-methods study of youths’ perceptions of residential care

There are a lack of studies examining youth’s perspective on their experiences in residential care. Such studies may yield important contributions to quality improvement and, hence, outcomes of youth in residential care. In this mixed-methods study, we aimed to evaluate youths’ perspectives of the quality of care and experiences in residential group care. The sample (N = 450) was comprised of 50.9% females and 48.6% males with a mean age of 14.77 (±2.27). The majority were white (36.3%) and black (36.0%). The sample was drawn from 127 residential care programs in Florida. This study was approved by an Institutional Review Board. Data were collected as part of a larger statewide pilot of the Quality Standards Assessment (QSA). We used univariate analyses to describe quality ratings and a multilevel model to examine associations between QSA scores and youth and program characteristics. Youths’ care experiences were categorized using a content-analysis of their open-ended responses. Overall, youth rated the quality of their placements highly. The multilevel model revealed that quality ratings were higher among youth with family reunification as their discharge plan versus non-relative care. Youths’ open-ended responses supported positive views on their placements and connections with staff. Negative comments focused on environmental restrictions and staff/peer relations. The inclusion of youth perspectives can contribute to improved service experiences and outcomes.

Accessing a “bounded space”: An ethnographic map of a residential care home for old persons during COVID-19

Taking place in a residential care setting in England during COVID-19, this ethnographic study offers a closer look at residents' experiences of residential care, with particular focus on dignity and wellbeing. Viewing experiences of well-being as embedded within interpersonal negotiations, the study turns to experience and stories to reveal complexities and contradictions in this taken-for-granted space. However, the timeline and design for this project has been greatly impacted by COVID-19. In exploring the design of this study and its ‘journey’ toward the field, the following article takes a critical view in order to view the impacts that ‘bounded’ and protected care settings may have on the agency and rights of older adult research participants. In this article, I also consider some of the complex ethical issues of conducting qualitative research during a time when older adults are being denied personal visitors, which can further 'bound' the care home space. The article offers timely insight on issues of agency and voice when working with a ‘protected population’ during a time which highlights the vulnerability of old adults.

Hearing from justice-involved, care experienced children: what are their experiences of residential care environments and regimes?

PurposeThe disproportionate representation in juvenile justice systems of children who are, or have been, in the care of the state is a major cause of concern internationally. However, the experiences of this particular group are largely absent from both policy debates and the international research base. This paper aims to correct that deficit by exploring the lived experiences of residential care, justice-involved children.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretivist investigation of care experienced children’s perceptions of their experiences, involving semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 19 children in England who were simultaneously in residential care and subject to youth justice supervision. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis.FindingsCare-experienced children described how their experiences of residential care environments and regimes have undermined their sense of how they see themselves, now and looking to the future. Against this background of disrupted identity, they also reported stigmatising interactions with staff that leave them feeling labelled both as a generic “looked-after child” and as a “bad kid”.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on the perceptions of a group of children in the criminal justice system, which, although reflecting the experiences of those with negative outcomes, may not be representative of all children in residential care.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for those responsible for the care and development of care-experienced children, as well policymakers concerned with reducing the numbers of care-experienced children in youth justice. Those responsible for the care and development of care-experienced children should consider steps to reduce how factors outlined here disrupt a child’s sense of self and introduce criminogenic labelling and stigma.Originality/valueDespite a number of studies seeking to understand why the number of care experienced children in the youth justice system is disproportionate, there is very little empirical work that seeks to understand the experiences and perceptions of children currently both in care and the criminal justice system. This paper seeks to correct this deficit, by detailing how children who are both in residential care and subject to youth justice supervision view their care experiences. The implications of this for policy, practice and further research are then explored.

'I could no longer cope at home': Experiences of clients and families in residential aged care within the context of Australia's aged care reforms.

Since 2012, Australia has been undertaking major aged care reforms, moving from a previously service provider-focussed approach to a more consumer-oriented policy direction. There is limited research examining consumer perspectives of residential care in the reform environment particularly with respect to both clients and their families. This study explores the lived experiences of clients and families in residential aged care facilities amid the reform implementation process. Using a qualitative descriptive research methodology, individual interviews were conducted with clients and family members (n=10) about their expectations and experiences of residential care. Participants were drawn from two not-for-profit aged care providers. Two broad themes emerged: (i) entering residential aged care and related issues, with subthemes including reasons for entering, decision-making processes, choice of provider/facility and impact of entering care facilities; and (ii) expectations and experiences of care delivery, with subthemes including issues of staffing, service provision, communication and awareness of living in or through the reform environment. The discrepancy between the experiences of care delivered and expectations of initial and changing care needs being met was a major concern. This study presents a snapshot of the expectations and experiences of both the client and the family cohorts in residential care under the reform conditions. Adequately addressing the relational and interpersonal elements of care delivery is critical in fulfilling the reforms' consumer-oriented objectives.

Adverse Childhood Experiences in Residential Care: Predicting Accumulation and Exploring Clustering of Adversity in Romanian Care Facilities

Adverse Childhood Experiences in Residential Care: Predicting Accumulation and Exploring Clustering of Adversity in Romanian Care Facilities

Factors associated with the family reintegration stability for children with a residential care experience in Ghana

There is limited evidence on family reintegration for children who have been in residential care within the African context. The goal of this study is to find out what factors impact reintegrated institutionalized children’s desire to remain with their biological parents or extended family. The dataset included records for 659 interviewed children and their guardians. However, the analyses were limited to 408 cases with complete data on the dependent and independent variables. Most of the children in the study (73%) preferred to remain with their relatives. The age of the child, length of time spent in residential care, and having a case file, were all factors linked to the children’s wish to stay with their family. Based on the findings of the study, social workers should do a full assessment and documentation to decide if reintegration is appropriate, prepare the child and family, and give follow-up assistance to ensure stable reintegration. Social workers must also link reunified families to long-term support such as enrollment on the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty social protection program, and they should monitor placements to improve the stability of the reintegration.

“Sometimes I feel at home” adolescents’ narratives of everyday life in residential care

PurposeA residential care is home for children who live there and is simultaneously a workplace for employees aiming to safeguard the needs and development of children. Studies have shown that adolescents’ descriptions of life in residential care are connected to feelings of otherness and deviance. The purpose of this study is to explore how adolescents in residential care in Norway relate residential care as a home to their experiences of everyday life in this context and to their relationships with the employees.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws on individual, qualitative interviews with 19 boys and girls (aged 15–18 years) living in residential care homes in Norway. The interviews explored their narratives of everyday life in residential care. The adolescents were encouraged to tell about yesterday and were asked follow-up questions regarding everything that had occurred during encounters with employees. The Norwegian Center for Research Data approved the study.FindingsThe analysis shows tensions in the adolescents’ accounts between the institution as an abnormal context and their own subject position as normal. By drawing upon the terms “stigma” and “recognition” in the analysis, the study shows how recognising relationships between the youth and staff decreases the potential to experience stigma.Originality/valueThis study contributes to existing knowledge on social work in residential care. The paper shows how the institutional framework and employees’ practices impact adolescents’ self-understanding and their experiences of residential care as a home.

The Experience of Residential Care from the Perspective of Adolescents and Caregivers

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.

The experience of residential care from the perspective of adolescents and caregivers

The experience of residential care from the perspective of adolescents and caregivers

A Constructive-Developmental Analysis of Satisfaction, Challenge and Coping in Residential Child and Youth Care

The work of caring for children and youth in residential care is a type of “mental demand,” in Kegan’s phrase, and in this study we used Kegan’s constructive developmental theory to interpret the mental demands on front-line child and youth care practitioners. The research questions were (a) how do different meaning-making systems influence how practitioners cope with and experience the demands of the job, and (b) what do child and youth care practitioners, with different meaning-making systems, identify as the primary challenges and the most satisfying experiences, and how do they experience and cope with these challenges? From the initial pool of 99, eighteen participants were selected for in-depth, qualitative interviews to assess the ways in which they make meaning and explore their experiences in residential care. There was internal coherence among the self-authoring and socialized epistemological orders and across organizations. This way of understanding the work reinterprets practice problems, including boundaries and limit testing, turnover and burnout, and how to do supervision.

Why do they stay on the streets? learning about the permanence of young people on the street

The aim of this research was to generate knowledge on the factors that influence the desertion of street children and adolescents to residential facilities, as opposed to the factors that favor their permanence in their street group. 25 young adults’ stories about their street situation — for whom institutionalization was not effective—, were collected in the city of La Paz, Bolivia. From a criti-cal autoethnographic analysis, five learnings based on both, the experiences of residential care and organization practices of the street group were constructed. Recommendations are put for-ward both to improve the retention of children in foster care and to reduce professionals’ burnout when taking care of them. Further research from a multi-stakeholder and critical perspective, to design more sensible responses for children and for those who work in social services is needed.

The experience of animal therapy in residential aged care in New Zealand: a narrative analysis

AbstractAnimal therapy has been shown to have both physiological and psychological benefits for older people, including improvements in outlook and social interaction. Volunteer-led animal visitation programmes are common within residential aged care facilities in New Zealand. Visits by animals and handlers are intended to improve the quality of life of people in residential care. Very little research has been conducted on the informal animal visitation programmes typical in care facilities in New Zealand. This project examined the experience of animal therapy in two residential aged care homes that receive animal visits from an animal welfare organisation. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven older people about their experiences of the programme and analysed using narrative analysis. Three overarching narratives were identified: animal therapy as a fleeting pleasure, residential care as a sad environment, and identity outside residential care as highly valued. Older people in residential care do value animal therapy, but it is narrated as a fleeting pleasure, rather than having a long-lasting or far-reaching impact on the daily experience of residential care. In some ways, the structure of the animal therapy programme may underscore the challenges to everyday autonomy and identity experienced in residential aged care. These findings can be used to develop animal visiting programmes which recognise the importance of a valued social identity in later life.

Brutal Bullies and Protective Peers: How Young People Help or Hinder Each Other’s Safety in Residential Care

ABSTRACT International research has shown that young people in residential care experience challenges and are often exposed to risks that compromise their physical and emotional safety. In particular, the literature has begun to account for the interpersonal difficulties that children and young people have with their peers: concerns about bullying, harassment, peer sexual and physical violence and exploitation. This paper builds on this literature, drawing from a study for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse where 27 children and young people living in residential care discussed their experiences of safety. Although they reported abuse and harm (including exposure to peer violence and bullying and exploitation from outsiders) and how their peers’ experiences affected their sense of safety, our study also uncovered ways that young people supported each other and provided them relationships that were protective. The implications for policy and practice, including the need to strengthen peer relationships and foster positive peer cultures are explored.

The Influence of Youth Gender and Complex Trauma on the Relation Between Treatment Conditions and Outcomes in Therapeutic Residential Care.

Complex trauma (CT) is the experience, or witness, of prolonged abuse or neglect that negatively affects children's emotional and psychological health. Youth in residential care experience higher incidences of complex trauma than youth in community-based care, with notable gender differences and presentation of psychological symptoms. This study examined the effects of trauma-informed residential care and the relation between CT and gender. A sample (n = 206) from an evaluation of a youth psychiatric residential facility in the Midwest that transitioned from a traditional care model to a trauma-informed care model was used. A hierarchical regression was used to model the main effects of model of care, gender, CT, length of stay, and crisis response on treatment outcomes; and the moderating effects of gender and CT. The results support the high prevalence of CT in residential care populations. The final model explained 30.2% of the variance with a statistically significant interaction between gender and length of stay in treatment, indicating that longer lengths of stay in treatment are associated with less change in functional impairment for girls than boys. Youth gender and prior trauma are important factors to consider when monitoring experiences and treatment outcomes in youth residential care.

Response to Ainsworth and Holden's Review of ‘Weighing Up the Evidence and Local Experience of Residential Care’

Debate on Australian policy and practice about residential care is to be welcomed as it has important implications for the care and wellbeing of vulnerable young people, as well as the allocation of resources to care and protection systems. I therefore welcome the commentary provided by Ainsworth and Holden on the arguments offered in ‘Weighing Up the Evidence and Local Experience of Residential Care’. Whilst these reviewers of my Practice Commentary have accepted many of the points made, I wish to take this opportunity to reinforce my arguments in light of their critique.

A Response to ‘Weighing Up the Evidence and Local Experience of Residential Care’

We are in agreement with some of the points made in the recent article by Tregeagle, ‘Weighing up the evidence and local experience of residential care’ (Children Australia, 42(4), 240–247). For example, there can be no dispute about the high costs of residential placements or that achieving a stable residential environment is very challenging. Table 1 provides a three state cost comparison of residential placements (Ainsworth, 2017).

Coping with life in a new country – affect regulation based on unaccompanied refugee minors’ needs

ABSTRACTMany unaccompanied refugee minors have experienced adversity, stress and/or trauma. This article discusses how to create a supportive environment for unaccompanied minors with refugee status in residential care and what challenges are present. How do these young people describe their strategies to cope with life? Self-regulation for these young people refers to the ability to regulate emotions to influence their behaviour based on emotional and social demands in a particular situation. Through co-regulation they learn to self-regulate emotions with available, trustworthy and empathetic caregivers in an interactive process. Awareness of the adult’s own feelings is important. In co-regulation, the adults combine soothing language with a willingness to ignore provocative behaviour with young people who are emotionally upset. Data were collected through interviews with 10 unaccompanied refugee minors with experience of residential care. The aim was to examine what challenges these young people experience in creating a supportive environment, and how do they describe their strategies for coping with challenges. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. This article formulates issues of possible ways of supporting unaccompanied refugee minors in the process of life in a new country.

Weighing Up the Evidence and Local Experience of Residential Care

Therapeutic residential care is currently seen as an answer to managing the increasing disruption experienced by many young people in care. Yet the history of residential care in Australia is problematic and the international evidence for the efficacy of therapeutic approaches is very poor. The author's own agency's experience of providing residential care also indicates that caution is needed before increasing the numbers of residential ‘beds’. Problems include young people's dislike of residential options and the stressfulness of an environment that involves shift workers and multiple transient relationships. Further, residential care can be a financial drain on child welfare budgets (being tendered to non-government agencies at over seven times the cost of community care), and has the potential danger – when beds are empty – of being used for young people who do not need this level of care. Residential care may appear to be the only option for a handful of adolescents no longer suited to foster care; but before developing therapeutic residential care further, government must be able to guarantee, at a minimum: a safe environment, a nurturing and healing environment, continuity of care, and the capacity to meet young people's developmental and permanency needs. These standards must be met, not just now, but over the long term.