The role of young people and residential care
There has been long-standing academic interest in the study of residential child care.
Such study has made a valuable contribution to the development of both services and care practice. The perspectives of young people have, however, received less attention.
This gap is most significant in relation to their group care experiences. Indeed the resident group is seen as a somewhat negative force and one from which children and young people require protection. This article uses data from one ethnographic study undertaken in Scotland to explore the ways in which young people in residential care offer one another support.