NCJ Number
205511
Date Published
2004
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This publication reports the findings of a 3-month study on preventative and behavior management approaches for young people under local authority residential care in the United Kingdom.
Abstract
Study methodology included a literature review, case studies of three local authorities and residential care homes, examinations of two projects that target young people in/leaving care, visits to children’s homes for interviews with staff and managers, and interviews with social service providers, Youth Offending Teams (YOT), and police representatives. Under examination was the approaches utilized in the three residential care homes to manage the behavior of young people. Main findings of the research indicated that the contraction of the residential care sector of the juvenile justice system has been leading to a concentration of highly challenging young people in the residential care sector. The case studies demonstrate a concerted effort to move away from a punitive response to behavior management problems and toward an increasingly tailored preventative and restorative model of behavior management. Reward schemes, police reporting protocols, and collaborative approaches with local partners were identified as valuable in the reduction of offending by young people in residential care. The importance of communication with partner agencies is underscored and site visits to residential care homes by partner agencies is recommended. Key factors for building an effective residential home staff were identified as: investment in the recruitment process; staff training and development; and the understanding that staff make valuable contributions and are valued by their organization. Following the introduction in section 1, section 2 introduces the local authority case studies, offering a review of their characteristics and residents. Section 3 describes their approaches to behavior management and prevention, while section 4 explicates the protocols regarding reporting offending behavior to police. Finally, section 5 describes the conclusions and recommendations, which include an evaluation of the impact of the current police reporting protocols in place in the residential care homes examined in this study. The development of staff skills is also underscored as critical to the effective management of youth residential care homes. Textboxes