4. Views of residential child care
Positive and negative views
Some see residential child care in positive ways, others in negative ways, and some will see a mixture of both.
Read a selection of views below.
Do any of these match your own?
Some see residential child care in positive ways, as:
providing stability and a stimulating environment
widening cultural and educational horizons
creating a framework for emotionally secure relationships with adults
providing a setting for intensive therapeutic work
providing an opportunity to share experiences with other young people.
Some may see residential child care in negative ways:
There can be difficulties in providing unconditional love, which can affect children's emotional development.
Poor staff continuity can affect how children bond to a carer.
Care can become institutionalised if routines are not based around the needs of young people.
It can lead to marginalisation of children's families and other welfare services.