Risk, resilience and identity construction in the life narratives of young people leaving residential care

TLDR: The authors found that residential care leavers from adverse backgrounds attribute very different meanings to their experiences, which affects identity construction, resilience, and the need for support, and highlighted the importance of nurturing relationships and a sense of "family" but also the role of support after leaving residential care, when transitions workers helped them to move on but stay connected.

Abstract: The role of residential care for children has developed very differently internationally, but in all cultural contexts there are questions about the extent to which it can help young people recover from high risk backgrounds. In the UK, residential care has come to be seen as the placement of last resort, yet new government guidance on permanence has suggested that residential care can provide security and a sense of belonging. Narrative analysis of interviews with 20 care leavers identified their different pathways from birth families through residential care to early adulthood. Some experienced a transformation from a negative sense of self as victims or ‘bad children’ to survivors, while others continued to struggle. Key to successful turning points were four interacting factors, all associated with resilience; connection, agency, activity and coherence. These narratives revealed the importance of nurturing relationships and a sense of ‘family’, but also the role of support after leaving residential care, when transitions workers helped them to move on but stay connected. The study highlighted how residential care leavers from adverse backgrounds attribute very different meanings to their experiences, which affects identity construction, resilience and the need for support.

Full text

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Accepted by Child and Family Social Work 23
rd
April 2016
Risk, resilience and identity construction in the life narratives of
young people leaving residential care
Gillian Schofield, Birgit Larsson and Emma Ward
Abstract
The role of residential care for children has developed very differently internationally,
but in all cultural contexts there are questions about the extent to which it can help
young people recover from high risk backgrounds. In the UK, residential care has come
to be seen as the placement of last resort, yet new government guidance on permanence
has suggested that residential care can provide security and a sense of belonging.
Narrative analysis of interviews with 20 care leavers identified their different pathways
from birth families through residential care to early adulthood. Some experienced a
transformation from a negative sense of self as victims or ‘bad children’ to survivors,
while others continued to struggle. Key to successful turning points were four
interacting factors, all associated with resilience; connection, agency, activity and
coherence. These narratives revealed the importance of nurturing relationships and a
sense of ‘family’, but also the role of support after leaving residential care, when
transitions workers helped them to move on but stay connected. The study highlighted
how residential care leavers from adverse backgrounds attribute very different
meanings to their experiences, which affects identity construction, resilience and the
need for support.
Key words: risk; resilience; identity; transitions; residential care

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Introduction
The role of residential care for children has developed very differently internationally,
both in the numbers and characteristics of children placed and the perceived purpose of
the placement (Thoburn and Ainsworth 2014). But in all cultural contexts, there are
questions about the extent to which residential care environments can provide an
experience for young people from high risk backgrounds that helps them to overcome
adversity and meets their need to develop security, resilience and a sense of belonging.
The need to promote young people’s resilience (Gilligan 1999; Rutter 2013; Masten
2014) becomes a particular issue at the point of transition to adulthood when ‘leaving
care’ (in the UK, at or before age 18) is expected to mean leaving the care of the
residential home and its staff with the expectation of becoming ‘independent’ (Stein
2012). The key research question for this study of care leavers’ narratives was to
explore the different experiences and meanings associated with their pathways from
troubled birth families through residential care and into early adulthood, including their
perception of the support they received.
Policy and research on residential care
Unlike many other countries in Europe (Thoburn and Ainsworth 2014), residential care
in children’s homes in the UK is the placement for only a small percentage (8% in 2014-
15) of looked after children (Department of Education 2015a). The role of residential
care in the UK has therefore become predominantly to provide placements for children
with special needs, for older children and for children whose needs have not been able
to be met in foster care. Although residential care has come to be seen as the placement
of last resort, recent government guidance on achieving permanence for children
(Department for Education 2015b: para 2.6) has suggested that residential care can
provide ‘a sense of security and belonging’.

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A number of concerns about outcomes for children in care generally have been seen as
specifically challenging in residential care. For example, there are high levels of
diagnosable mental health disorders (46%) among looked after children, but
particularly high levels (68%) in residential care (Meltzer et al 2000). Low educational
attainment is a particular issue for children in residential care and Berridge et al
(2012) reported that only 41% of children in residential care had been in mainstream
school in the previous 6 months.
The significance of warm, secure and continuous relationships for young people from
troubled family backgrounds is apparent while they are in residential care (Berridge et
al 2012, Kendrick 2013, Hart et al 2015). But continuity of relationships is especially
valuable in the transition from care to adult life (Stein 2012,). Here there are tensions
between the stated goal of the care system, to achieve ‘permanence’ and a sense of
belonging (Department for Education 2015b), and the expectations around leaving care
when young people are expected to move from children’s homes into ‘independence’.
‘Staying Put’ arrangements (Department for Education 2013) offer young people in
foster care the opportunity to stay till age 21, but this option is not available for the
group who are probably the most vulnerable in the care system - young people in
residential care (National Children’s Bureau 2014).
Risk, resilience and identity
Concerns about outcomes from residential care need to be addressed through clarity
about its goals. Inevitably for adolescents with complex and adverse histories there are
questions about the extent to which as care leavers their emotional and behavioural
difficulties have been resolved, and in particular whether they have a coherent identity
and the necessary qualities, skills and coping strategies as they move from residential
care in early adulthood.

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Resilience is a useful concept on which to focus these goals for children in residential
care as it targets successful adaption to past, current and future challenges (Masten
2014). Resilience factors most at risk in a care population likely to have experienced
maltreatment (Howe 2005), include self-esteem, self-efficacy and the capacity to build
trusting relationships (Gilligan 1999; Schofield and Beek 2005; Rutter, 2013). Specific
to this residential care population and linked to identity construction are particular
challenges in generating coherent narratives of complex family and care experiences,
including the stigma of residential care, which would allow them to resolve feelings
about the past and move on.
The approach taken in this study to understanding these resilience processes (Rutter
2013) was to consider how young people’s own life narratives reflected different
pathways and meanings attached to relationship experiences and how those meanings
affected their sense of self and capacity in residential care to become more resilient.
This will help to fill the gap in the literature on how close relationships in residential
care can contribute to a sense of security, permanence and belonging.
The study
The study involved an investigation of young people’s experiences of the transition to
adulthood from children’s homes run by a voluntary sector organisation. The
organisation provided care for young people in small children’s homes (4-5 residents),
with some staying 3 -7 years. The organisation was concerned that having
experienced stability in their care, many young people’s experience of leaving care
was to face uncertain levels of support. Funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
supported the development of a transitions team to work alongside residential staff to
provide continuity of care and relationships into adulthood. As a new service, the

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transitions team contacted all young people up to the age of 30 who had left the
children’s homes to offer support. The message to young people currently leaving
care was that support from the organisation would be available as long as needed.
Methods
The key research question concerned the nature of young people’s experiences of
pathways through birth families, care placements and transition into adulthood,
involving complex patterns of movement between diverse caregiving environments;
thus a narrative approach was used to investigate those experiences. It is only through
understanding the young person’s sense of their whole childhood, its cumulative and
interactive nature, that identity construction and the experience of living in and moving
on from residential care to independence can be understood. The project was
approved by the - University of East Anglia Ethics Committee (Schofield et al 2015).
The sample
The interview sample was 20 young people aged 17- 26 (17-19 n= 13; 20-23 n=3; 24-
26 n=4) with 13 male and 7 female participants. All were white British, reflecting the
predominant ethnicity of the area. At the time of the study there were 45-50 young
people who were linked to the transitions team and young people were approached
initially by staff. If the initial response was positive, young people would be contacted
by a member of the research team to explain the project in more detail and obtain
written consent. There were some young people not approached because of particular
mental health or other vulnerabilities at the time of the study. Five young people who
had expressed interest did not then complete interviews. The sample therefore cannot
claim to be representative of all care leavers from this organisation, but provided
diverse histories and a range of experiences, as the analysis will demonstrate. The

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What are the contributions in "Risk, resilience and identity construction in the life narratives of young people leaving residential care" ?

In the UK, residential care has come to be seen as the placement of last resort, yet new government guidance on permanence has suggested that residential care can provide security and a sense of belonging. The study highlighted how residential care leavers from adverse backgrounds attribute very different meanings to their experiences, which affects identity construction, resilience and the need for support. 

Q2. What have the authors stated for future works in "Risk, resilience and identity construction in the life narratives of young people leaving residential care" ?

Although the sample size and representativeness are limitations of this study, it was still possible through use of narrative analysis to demonstrate the different ways in which young people construct and give meanings to their childhood and adolescent experiences, both the loss and distress and the possibility for resilience and growth when leaving care ( Stein 2012 ). A key message for practitioners is that listening to the different underlying meanings to young people of their apparently similar stories of adverse childhoods is an important first step in helping them to make sense of how and why they may be finding it difficult to accept help, form relationships, become more resilient and move on. 

Q3. What are the important factors in a care population likely to have experienced maltreatment?

Resilience factors most at risk in a care population likely to have experienced maltreatment (Howe 2005), include self-esteem, self-efficacy and the capacity to build trusting relationships (Gilligan 1999; Schofield and Beek 2005; Rutter, 2013). 

Q4. What was the challenge for transitions workers?

A challenge for transitions workers was how to promote agency and autonomy for these young people while meeting their emotional needs. 

Q5. What are the challenges in generating coherent narratives of complex family and care experiences?

Specific to this residential care population and linked to identity construction are particular challenges in generating coherent narratives of complex family and care experiences, including the stigma of residential care, which would allow them to resolve feelings about the past and move on. 

Q6. What was the main feature of the transformation narratives?

The feeling that both residential and transitions staff were committed to ‘being there’ for them beyond leaving care was a major feature of successful transformation narratives - and this secure base was built on their sense of family relationships and belonging (Schofield & Beek 2009; Schofield et al 2015). 

Q7. What was the main reason for the young people’s successful move into adulthood?

In their interviews these young people who had experienced some positive emotional support in their birth families, attributed their successful move into adulthood primarily to instrumental outcomes, in particular the development of their education while in residential care, which they ascribed both to support received and to their own agency. 

Q8. What did they describe as their behaviour?

They described their behaviour as leading to them being ‘kicked out’ of the children’s home with stories of subsequent downward spirals that included self harm and drug use. 

Q9. What is the key question in this study?

The key research question concerned the nature of young people’s experiences of pathways through birth families, care placements and transition into adulthood, involving complex patterns of movement between diverse caregiving environments; thus a narrative approach was used to investigate those experiences. 

Q10. What was the link between being a survivor and being a victim?

For young people who had defined themselves as victims of others, becoming a survivor was linked to both a sense of agency and of connection. 

Q11. What did the young person describe as a member of staff?

This young person describes a member of staff, ‘like a dad’, who helped him manage his stress and engage in constructive activity. 

Q12. What is the key message for practitioners?

A key message for practitioners is that listening to the different underlying meanings to young people of their apparently similar stories of adverse childhoods is an important first step in helping them to make sense of how and why they may be finding it difficult to accept help, form relationships, become more resilient and move on. 

Q13. What was the defining characteristic for these young people?

The defining characteristic for these young people was their accounts of what difficult, ‘bad’ children they had been from when they were young. 

Q14. What was the painful feeling to manage in early adulthood?

In early adulthood, one of the most painful feelings to manage, therefore, was the regret that because of their bad behaviour, as they saw it, they had lost an opportunity to change and find a better life. 

Q15. What was the link between the ability to achieve in education and to feel more in control of their?

For young people who had experienced their childhood as victims, the ability to achieve in education or work was linked both to their capacity to make trusting relationships and to feel more in control of their lives, with a greater sense of agency. 

Q16. What was the difficult thing for these young people to do?

But this switching from positive to negative, needy to angry, showed how hard it was for these young people to accept help and to establish a stable, supportive and coherent relationship with transition workers. 

Q17. What did the author say about the young adults’ ability to cope with the changes in their behaviour?

Surviving as young adults owed a great deal to the changes in their behaviour and their capacity to use support, but their ability to reflect coherently on these changes and articulate the reasons for them suggested important resilience characteristics. 

Q18. What is the message of Gilligan’s work on resilience?

So the message of these narrative pathways, as Gilligan’s work on resilience (1999) would suggest, is that the authors need to consider the factors that may sustain or create more positive pathways. 

Q19. What was the gap in the literature mentioned earlier?

One gap in the literature mentioned earlier concerned how close relationships in residential care can contribute to a sense of permanence, security and belonging (Department for Education 2015b: para 2.6). 

Q20. What is the key research question for this study?

The key research question for this study of care leavers’ narratives was to explore the different experiences and meanings associated with their pathways from troubled birth families through residential care and into early adulthood, including their perception of the support they received.