for their thoughtful guidance and many helpful suggestions. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the staff of the MBS-who gave their time to collect data, meet with researchers, and contribute to the final text-and to all the pupils, parents and carers who are represented in this report.
Retaining high quality foster carers and helping them to manage the intense emotional impact of caring for young traumatised children is still a major challenge. While foster carer training helps in the short term, international findings suggest that training and support structures alone may not sustain foster carers when times get tough. This article considers the benefits of embedding reflective practice into the role of foster carers. It draws on a qualitative study of five foster carers and two birth mothers receiving specialist help whose children have experienced severe trauma, early neglect and/or abuse and who attend a residential special school for primary-aged children where staff reflective practice is at the core of its work. The carers of all new pupils during a 12-month period were interviewed at the start of placement and one year later and the emerging themes were identified. All of the foster carers reported that after the first year children were less violent and aggressive and more able to verbalise their feelings. Some also began to change their perception of their child’s difficulties. The birth parents also reported improvements but the focus of their concerns and details of the benefits were different. The article argues that in addition to training, all carers who look after severely traumatised children would benefit from regular opportunities to genuinely reflect on the impact that their caring role has on them and that their children’s development will be enhanced by the reduction in challenging behaviour and the risk of placement disruption. However, within the reflective process, different groups of carers will have their own particular concerns.
Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to discuss the clinical assessment of children and the development of a multidisciplinary team in an established residential school for children aged five to 12. Design/methodology/approach-Using clinical examples the paper describes how assessment can identify different levels of therapeutic need, and then how the decision is made whether or not to offer milieu therapy, music therapy, dramatherapy or psychotherapy. Findings-The paper suggests that children who have early histories of abuse and trauma have differing clinical needs. Practical implications-The implication is that children will engage better with the therapy if the level of intervention is sensitive to their state of mind, which in turn will help them make better use of the environmental provision of the school. Originality/value-The paper offers an original perspective on the possibilities and limitations of psychotherapeutic work with extremely vulnerable damaged children in a residential therapeutic setting, the Mulberry Bush.
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