The voice of troubled youth: Children's and adolescents' ideas on helpful elements of care

For this qualitative study, 18 foster care alumni, ranging in age from 18 to 25 years, described good foster parents as helping them functionally adapt to foster care. Good foster parents never referred to them as a "foster" child, balanced consistency with individualized application of rules, used terms such as "our family" or "our home," and included them in extended family gatherings and events. They were emotionally available without being intrusive, especially about stressful events in their lives. They facilitated ongoing contact with people from the child's past without being judgmental. Good foster parents also used their own resources, tried to accommodate personal tastes, and supported extracurricular activities.KEYWORDS aging out of foster care, foster care, family engagement, policy issuesThe number of children in foster care has been declining for much of the past decade-with approximately 397,000 children in care in 2012 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Data from state child welfare systems in 2012 indicate that most children exit foster care to permanent placement through reunification with birth families or by being

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“…and "inappropriate staff attitudes and interventions" were seen as unhelpful (Soenen, D'Oosterlinck, & Broekaert, 2013).…”

Section: Youth's Voicementioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Adaptation to Foster Care: Foster Care Alumni Speak Out

Affronti¹,

Rittner

Jones

2015

Journal of Public Child Welfare

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“…Nonetheless, this theme is consistent with previous research that demonstrates that relational matters are usually the key elements in recovery and residential practice with adolescents (Rabley et al, 2014;Soenen et al, 2013;Soldevila et al, 2013). In this capacity, the present research builds upon previous studies.…”

Section: The Practitioner Facilitates Recovery Via the Relational Hubsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…The above Nonetheless, the literature consistently points out that the most healing aspects of a residential facility revolve around the therapeutic nature of staff-client relationships such as the physical and emotional availability of staff (Soenen et al, 2013), open communication, trust and fun (Rabley et al, 2014) and consistent emotional connection along with preparing the adolescents for discharge (Soldevila et al, 2013).…”

Section: Residential Treatment Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, this is not to diminish the responsibility of the organisation in supporting its staff. Bloom and Farragher (2010) (Creedy & Crowe, 1996;Soenen et al, 2013). Just as a hospital or home act as holding environments, so too can staff offer interpersonal and intrapsychic holding (Applegate & Bonovitz, 1995).…”

Section: The Staff Experience Of Residential Carementioning

confidence: 99%

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The long sleep-over: the lived experience of teenagers, parents and staff in an adolescent psychiatric unit

Ward¹

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Adolescents are in a particular life cycle stage that involves numerous psychosocial changes. When this stage of life is compounded by serious mental health difficulties, the effects can have significant repercussions for both teenager and family. For some adolescents, an extended inpatient stay is necessary in order to address these difficulties. This research investigates the subjective experience of adolescents, their parents and staff who live, work and have a child in such a facility; the Barrett Adolescent Centre (BAC) located in Brisbane Australia. The qualitative study was completed by the sole social work practitioner who was employed at the Unit for over eight years.The Unit was a long stay residential facility and provided the opportunity to collect data over an extended period of time. The research therefore emerges from an insider, practitioner-researcher context. The primary research question focused on how the collective experiences of adolescent consumers, parents and staff can inform mental health practice in adolescent residential settings.A review of the literature suggests that there is a strong tendency to incorporate concepts from the adult mental health literature into adolescent mental health practice. The notion of recovery is an example, which is heavily influenced by conceptualisations of adult experience. Consequently, the aim of the present research was to better understand the participants holistically, but also in the appropriate developmental context; incorporating the social, emotional and experiential domains that form the lived experience of inpatient life. Broadly speaking, the key areas of interest included how the notion of recovery was experienced by the adolescents, the experiences of the parents during their child's inpatient stay, and the experiences of the staff while helping the adolescents.The research emphasises and values subjectivity as well as the interpretation of significant personal experience. Subsequently, the study is located within an interpretative phenomenological analysis frame. It is also informed by critical realism that posits that mental illness is an objectively real phenomenon, though experienced uniquely by each individual affected by it. Semi-structured interviews formed the basis of the data, involving the three population groups of adolescent inpatients, their parents and staff. A total of 13 adolescents, 10 staff and 8 parents were interviewed.Single interviews were utilised for all participant groups as well as a small focus group of the three primary staff professions; that of Allied Health, Nursing and Education. The use of photography was also utilised with the adolescents in order to explore various facets of the therapeutic milieu from their perspective. The adolescents were also offered successive interviews over a number of ii months to enrich the picture of inpatient life. Elements such as family, education, consumer-staff relations as well as the recovery process were investigated.Hermeneutical thematic analysis uncovered ric...

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“…Several authors mention that safety can be advanced by providing supervision to these boys (Kenney, 2013;Rasmussen, 2013;Sahay, 2013;Soenen et al, 2014). According to Soenen, D'Oosterlinck and Broekaert (2013) as well as Wurtele (2012), most disruptive behaviour takes place at times and places where there is little if any supervision. The role players should take the following precautions to ensure the safety of these boys.…”

Section: Create Safe Spacesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptualising a Proposed Support Strategy for Sexually Abused Boys in Middle Childhood

Steyn¹,

Wyk

Kitching

2017

SWORK

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Male child sexual abuse in middle childhood has serious effects with the increased risk of development of various mental illnesses and disorders, as well as extreme forms of emotional and behavioural problems. This study conceptualises a proposed support strategy for sexually abused boys in their middle childhood placed in a clinic school. The proposed support strategy involves three main facets, namely the strengthening of the sexually abused boy as an individual; sustaining a deep, trusting relationship; and the facilitation of a sustainable supportive context for these boys.

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The voice of troubled youth: Children's and adolescents' ideas on helpful elements of care

Cited by 14 publications

References 41 publications

Functional Adaptation to Foster Care: Foster Care Alumni Speak Out

Functional Adaptation to Foster Care: Foster Care Alumni Speak Out

The long sleep-over: the lived experience of teenagers, parents and staff in an adolescent psychiatric unit

Conceptualising a Proposed Support Strategy for Sexually Abused Boys in Middle Childhood

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