TY - JOUR

T1 - The quest for genuine care

T2 - A qualitative study of the experiences of young people who self-harm in residential care

AU - Rouski, Charlene

AU - Knowles, Susan

AU - Sellwood, Bill

AU - Hodge, Suzanne

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26 (2), 2021, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2021 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Social Psychological and Personality Science page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/SPP on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

PY - 2021/4/30

Y1 - 2021/4/30

N2 - Levels of self-harm for young people in care are high, and even higher for those in residential care. Recent research highlights the importance of understanding self-harm relationally. Such an approach may be of particular value for understanding the self-harm of young people in care. The aim of this research was to understand the experiences of young people who self-harm whilst living in residential care, with a particular focus on the effect of the care setting on their self-harm. Five young people participated in semi-structured interviews which were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes emerged: ‘The black hole of self-harm’, ‘Seeking genuine care and containment, ‘The cry to be understood’ and ‘Loss of control to the system.’ Young people recognised their need for support with their self-harm, but organisationally driven approaches to managing risk contributed to a perception that the care offered was not genuine, which led to an unwillingness to accept care. The findings highlight the need for a more compassionate, relational response to young people who self-harm in residential care.

AB - Levels of self-harm for young people in care are high, and even higher for those in residential care. Recent research highlights the importance of understanding self-harm relationally. Such an approach may be of particular value for understanding the self-harm of young people in care. The aim of this research was to understand the experiences of young people who self-harm whilst living in residential care, with a particular focus on the effect of the care setting on their self-harm. Five young people participated in semi-structured interviews which were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes emerged: ‘The black hole of self-harm’, ‘Seeking genuine care and containment, ‘The cry to be understood’ and ‘Loss of control to the system.’ Young people recognised their need for support with their self-harm, but organisationally driven approaches to managing risk contributed to a perception that the care offered was not genuine, which led to an unwillingness to accept care. The findings highlight the need for a more compassionate, relational response to young people who self-harm in residential care.

KW - Looked after children

KW - children in care

KW - self-harm

KW - residential care

KW - relational

KW - qualitative

KW - interpretative phenomenological analysis

U2 - 10.1177/1359104520980037

DO - 10.1177/1359104520980037

M3 - Journal article

VL - 26

SP - 418

EP - 429

JO - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

JF - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

SN - 1359-1045

IS - 2

ER -