This issue features several contributions that continue to expand the knowledge base of residential care for children and youth. The topics represented in this issue reflect some of the most pressing questions for residential care providers, including implementing evidence-based practices in residential settings (Espenes et al.), understanding youth attitudes toward services (Fite et al.), and youth outcomes from care (Gutterswijk et al., Russell & Gillis). The residential workforce is the focus of two of the papers. Santos and colleagues consider the occupational stress that residential staff experience and Mathieu and Goeffrion consider how staff characteristics are associated with the use of restraint and seclusion in these programs. The issue closes with a perspective essay about the literature on token economies and variation in the quality of their implementation (Peterson & Huefner).
Readers are also encouraged to explore a recently released volume on cross-national trends and challenges in residential care. Titled Revitalizing Residential Care for Children and Youth (Oxford, 2022), this text presents the purposes, prevalence, and policies of residential programs for youth across 16 developed countries. The structure of the chapters allows readers to compare and contrast across each country represented. In addition, promising practices and program exemplars from different regions are shared, which can help readers identify potential next steps in practice and research.
In our global world, it has never been more important to learn from each other about what works and how to innovate in improving high quality residential care to youth who need it. This text is an important step in advancing data-driven work and cross-national collaboration. If you are interested in purchasing this text, readers can receive a 30% discount by using the coupon code “ASFLYQ6” at www.oup.com.