Managing behaviour in child residential group care: Unique tensions
Date
2015
Authors
McLean, S.
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Journal article
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Child & Family Social Work, 2015; 20(3):344-353
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Abstract
Residential group care workers are frequently required to support children with extremely challenging and aggressive behaviour. Our knowledge about the tensions that may exist for workers that manage difficult behaviour is theoretically and empirically underdeveloped.The aim of this exploratory study was to contribute to our under-standing of the dynamics of behaviour management in the residential environment by identifying the worker-reported tensions involved in the management of challenging and disruptive behaviour. Seventeen South Australian residential group care workers participated in semi-structured interviews in which they were asked to describe their management of behaviour. These interviews were subjected to thematic analysis. The analysis revealed several dynamics that influenceworkers’ management of challenging behaviour: the sense of parenting at a distance, the pressure for consistency, the desire for balance between control and connection, the desire for normality and the inconsistent nature of relationships. These findings contribute to our knowledge about the interpersonal context in which behaviour is addressed in the residential group home and enhance our under-standing of the unique tensions that workers’ experience in managing behaviour in the residential environment. The findings have implications for the development of staff training and the support of residential care workers managing challenging behaviour.
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Copyright 2013 John Wiley and Sons