Effects of Institutional Care

Institutionalising children has been shown to cause a wide range of problems for their development, well-being and longer-term outcomes. Institutional care does not adequately provide the level of positive individual attention from consistent caregivers which is essential for the successful emotional, physical, mental, and social development of children. This is profoundly relevant for children under 3 years of age for whom institutional care has been shown to be especially damaging. 

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Hayley Alderson, Carrie Harrop ,

This chapter identifies some (but not all) of the common adversities that care-experienced young people often face living in England inclusive of changes in accommodation and placement instability, insecure relationships, poor mental health, disrupted education, substance misuse, and poverty in order to help educators understand the myriad of life challenges facing those with care experience.

Ana Stojanović, Ines Rezo Bagarić,

The aim of this research was to gain insight into the youth resilience factors promoting a successful transition to an independent life after living in alternative care in Croatia. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with eight young people who had experience living in alternative care and showed successful adaptation to an independent life.

Sarah C. Sutherland, Harry S. Shannon, David Ayuku, David L. Streiner, Olli Saarela, Lukoye Atwoli, Joseph Hogan, Paula Braitstein,

This longitudinal study uses a causal effect model to examine, through decomposition, the relationship between care environment and HIV risk factors in orphaned and separated adolescents and youths (OSAY) in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya; considering resilience, social, peer, or family support, volunteering, or having one’s material needs met as potential mediators. The authors analysed survey responses from 1105 OSAY age 10–26 living in Charitable Children’s Institutions (CCI) (orphanages) and family-based care settings (FBS).

Joshua McGrane, Julie Selwyn, Claire Baker ,

Young people who age out of state care are at risk of a range of negative outcomes. In England, national data provides only five indicators of care leavers’ lives and there are no measures of how young people themselves feel about their transition to adulthood. To fill this gap a new survey to measure subjective wellbeing was coproduced with 31 care leavers. The survey was then distributed by 21 local authorities and completed by 1804 care leavers.

This qualitative study explores the emotional and social experiences of 10 children, aged 6–11, residing in foster care in Italy before adoption for almost three years. Through semi-structured interviews, the study underlined the needs and expectations of these children, highlighting the necessity for a deeper reflection on the role of foster homes as nurturing and educational communities.

Caroline Andow,

Drawing on data generated through a substantial ethnography in one secure children's home in England, this paper uses Goffman's (1961) theorising as a conceptual lens to view the institution.

Luke Power, Mark Hardy,

This systematic review contained studies that were mostly based in the U.S. and had three primary research aims: (1) to identify the key predictors of care leavers’ health; (2) to understand how determinants of health are conceptualised within the literature; and (3) to understand what methods and data sources are used to understand the health outcomes of care leavers.

Judith L. Perrigo, Abigail Palmer Molina, Omar López, Dorian Traube, Lawrence A. Palinkas,

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of deinstitutionalization on the Salvadoran Child Protection System.

Anna-Lena Almqvist, Kitty Lassinantti ,

The objective of this paper is to further the understanding of young people’s experiences of out-of-home care (OHC) in Sweden.

Matthew J. Lindquist - Swedish Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University,

This report draws 14 lessons from academic research on the effects of out-of-home care on subsequent criminality. Most of the studies references in this review of based in Sweden.