Residential child care

Festival of Residential Child Care 2017

The Festival of Residential Child Care is a week-long programme of events, celebrating and supporting the work of residential child care across the whole of the UK. 

We were delighted to support Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice (CYCJ) produce two discussions as part of the week's activities. The discussions involved residential childcare workers and secure care staff discussing research undertaken by CYCJ and the implications for practice.

Food for Thought

The routines and rituals that surround food - shopping, preparing, cooking, serving, cleaning up - are important parts of our lives, yet often we fail to recognise their symbolic or hidden meanings.

Food for Thought: resources on food and care

Food for Thought is an ESRC-funded project led by Ruth Emond, Samantha Punch and Ian McIntosh of the University of Stirling. A website of resources has been launched today as part of the project, which includes food-based training, assessment and intervention tools for carers of looked after young people.

Children, food and care

Insight 22

Reviews the evidence about how food practices affect children in different care settings, drawing heavily from the experience of children in foster and residential care.

The use of food and food practices in residential care in Scotland - Ruth Emond, Samantha Punch

University of Stirling (February 2012)

Dr Ruth Emond and Dr Samantha Punch speak about a research project that they were involved in around food practices in residential children's homes. The significance of food to both children and the adults in the home is discussed. The project involved a research fellow living alongside the children and the staff for just under a year. It also involved individual interviews and focus groups with children and staff.

Ballikinrain care and education planning process

Laura-Jayne Callaghan (Residential Social Worker) in discussion with Edwina Grant (Independent Psychologist)

Laura-Jayne explains to Edwina an innovative care and education planning process for young people.

Filmed at Ballikinrain School, 13 April 2010.

Care Leavers Reunited

Care leavers may feel isolated well into adulthood and some have difficulty talking about their childhood, even to close friends and family.

To help care leavers overcome these difficulties, the Care Leavers Association has recently invested £3,000 in the relaunch of Care Leavers Reunited.