Safe and sound

Issue 18 of the Institute of Child Protection Studies Research to Practice Series

Authors: Dr Tim Moore, Morag McArthur, Steven Roche

The ICPS Research to Practice Series links the findings of research undertaken by the ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies, to the development of policy and practice in the area of child, youth and family welfare. Issue 18: Safe and Sound – Creating safe residential care services for children and young people, explores the development of safe residential services for children and young people, and discusses the factors preventing them from seeking support for safety concerns, strategies for preventing harm, and responding to safety concerns.

This issue draws from a study conducted by the ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies, with partners from Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology. The study included interviews with 27 children and young people aged 10-21 with lived experience of residential care in Australia, and explored the following research questions:

1. What does safety mean to children and young people in the context of residential care?
2. How do children and young people perceive safety within residential care and what do they need to feel and be safe?
3. What are the safety concerns of children and young people in residential care?
4. What do children and young people consider is being done to prevent harm (by staff, other adults and peers) in residential care?
5. What do children and young people consider should be done to respond to safety issues in residential care?

Issue 18 builds upon Issue 17, which examined the factors leading to children and young people’s vulnerability in residential care, what children and young people think about safety in the context of residential care, and their key interpersonal safety concerns.

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