Developing a positive living climate in residential youth care: a qualitative study

Delphine Levrouw, Jochen Devlieghere, Stijn Vandevelde and Rudi Roose

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 116, issue C

Abstract: In residential care for children and youth, supporting the quality of life of children is one of the main priorities. One of the key factors in providing good quality of care in these organizations, in relation to the children’s development, is developing a positive living (group) climate. Even though some key elements in achieving such a climate have been identified, it seems to remain difficult to present a clear-cut framework that allows residential care to implement a positive living group climate in their day-to-day life. Furthermore, we have very little evidence of the individual and systemic elements that support or inhibit organizations from developing a positive living group climate. Therefore, we want to elucidate these elements. The objectives of this study were to investigate: (1) how respondents perceive a positive living group climate, and (2) which tensions they experience in relation to establishing a positive living group climate. The results indicate that respondents have ideas about the necessary main themes for establishing a positive living group climate, but that it remains difficult to grasp exactly which elements are necessary to establish such a climate. Furthermore, issues on the organizational and policy level complicate the development of a positive living climate. In this context, the respondents struggle with how to define what kind of professionalism is needed to create a positive living climate. These important outcomes are further discussed in this article.

Keywords: Residential youth care; Living group climate; Children and adolescents; Group worker (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:116:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920301547

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105221

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