Care in child - worker professional relationships
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A space for love? The ethics of care in child – worker professional relationships in the youth penal realm
IRAS ID
319042
Contact name
Alexandra Wigzell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust & University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 26 days
Research summary
The project focuses on relationships of ‘care’ between children (aged 10 - 17 years) and practitioners in the youth penal realm. It aims to unpack what it means to ‘care’ and feel cared for; the ethical complexities that arise in the context of professional ‘care’ and how these are navigated; the factors that shape the development and quality of caring relationships; and their effects on children and workers.
While the centrality of 'caring' practitioner - service user relationships to effective practice has long been recognised, it remains an understudied aspect of both secure residential care with children and youth justice. Deepening understanding of the nature, ethical dimensions and effects of 'care' in child - practitioner relations is critical to identify what is and is not effective, and to foster practices that support positive outcomes.
The project will be conducted in a youth offending service and a secure children’s home over a 12-month period, with the initial three months spent building a sample of cases to follow for up to nine months. Four days will be spent across the two sites each week. Both a community and custodial setting will be studied to facilitate insights into how contrasting organisational contexts shape the dynamics and culture of care.
The study will comprise these central elements: participant observation of interactions within and between practitioners, managers and children; in-depth observation or ‘following’ of around 20 relational pairs of children and staff to provide insight into the emotional and ethical dimensions of professional relationships over time; interviews with the above children and staff; and participatory workshops with children in the research sites.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
22/WA/0298
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jan 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion