ABSTRACT
Drawing from an Italian study conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown, in this article we focus on the perspectives of Residential Care for Children (RCC) managers. Our aims are: to examine how they perceive RCC interactions with external stakeholders during lockdown – specifically within Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, encompassing meso- and exo-systems –, and to identify managers’ traits affecting communication with the abovementioned systems. The study involved 152 RCC managers on duty during the lockdown, utilizing the EWF Questionnaire – an anonymous, self-administered survey developed ad hoc for this investigation. The analysis employed descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis. Results indicate that during the lockdown managers had good communication with RCC meso-system. In terms of professional relationships, RCC managers reported a closer affinity with social workers. Managers’ age, tenure in the role and field experience had an impact on the perception of communication within meso- and exo-systems. The number of units managed and their education degree did not show statistically significant impact. In the final sections, we discuss implications for RCC, interprofessional collaboration, and strategies for enhancing intersystem communication.
Practical Implications
RCC managers’ age, field experience and tenure in the role must be considered, as they influence specific intersystem communication.
RCC managers require specific training and organizational support to communicate effectively with meso- and exo-systems.
Policymakers should fund interprofessional training programs to enhance relationships between RCC internal and external stakeholders.
Acknowledgments
This article is part of the EWF Project financed by CNCM, Coordinamento Nazionale delle Comunità per Minorenni di tipo familiare ETS. The authors wish to thank the National Board, the President, Mr. Gianni Fulvi, and Vice-President, Mr. Paolo Carli for their sponsorship and insightful comments. We also wish to thank all the anonymous participants of the larger research project – managers, educators and young boys and girls – for their participation.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. Overall, research on RCCs during lockdown focuses on three distinct areas: a) impact on children’s wellbeing (Carvalho et al., Citation2022; Cohen & Bosk, Citation2020; Costa et al., Citation2022; Haffejee & Levine, Citation2020, Howey et al., Citation2022; Montserrat et al., Citation2021, Citation2022; Neil et al., Citation2020; Vallejo Slocker et al., Citation2020; Wong et al., Citation2020); b) RCCs’ organizational responses (Grupper & Shuman, Citation2020; Wilke et al., Citation2020); and c) staff perceptions (Burbidge et al., Citation2020, Carvalho et al., Citation2022; Costa et al., Citation2022; Howey et al., Citation2022; Murphy, Citation2020; Parry et al., Citation2020; Salgado et al., Citation2023). Additionally, in 2020 and 2021, individual facilities in various countries shared their experiences during the lockdown, shedding light on their challenges and resources (for example, see the volume 19(3) of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care and, in Italy, the online initiative #RaccontaIlTuoServizio, #Tellyourservice, by Animazione Sociale).
3. For instance, Haffejee and Levine (Citation2020) reviewed how RCC and families changed communication practices during lockdown; Galvin and Kaltner (Citation2020) illustrated how judicial services changsets impacted on RCC cases; Costa et al. (Citation2022) documented how internal interaction changed, and so fort. As to our knowledge, no study delves globally on connection with external stakeholders during lockdown.
4. For instance, research on RCC connections with children’s biological families during lockdown reveals that while virtual calls frequently replaced in-person contact they generated stress and concerns for both parties (Haffejee & Levine, Citation2020; Vallejo Slocker et al., Citation2020), also raising uncertainties about the reunification process (Montserrat et al., Citation2021). The interaction with school, often problematic for both children and professionals in RCCs (Delfabbro et al., Citation2002; Ruff Johnson et al., Citation1995), raised issues of exacerbated educational disparities due to online attendance during lockdown (Ruff & Linville, Citation2021; Vallejo Slocker et al., Citation2020). Interruptions in external therapies and interactions with caregiving professionals – including social workers, doctors, and psychologists – affected the continuity of relationships for children. This factor is considered crucial for therapeutic alliances, mutual trust, personalized attention, and child involvement (Boel-Studt et al., Citation2018; Harder et al., Citation2022; Kolivoski et al., Citation2016). Concerning connections with court services, in one of the few analyses on this topic, Galvin and Kaltner (Citation2020) noted that delays in permanency achievement caused by court processes could heighten children’s sense of instability and anxiety during an already challenging time.
5. To name a few, Law 149/2001 establishes the limited number of children in RCCs, mandates family-like environments, individualized care plans, qualified staff, locations within inhabited and easily accessible areas in the local community, high-quality living environments, and puts a focus on everyday activities and constant interaction with the local community and networks, both formal and informal.
7. As nearly three quarters of our sample were female, we cannot make any statistical relevant assumption over the impact of gender. However, we hope that future research will explain in greater detail whether and how gender plays a role in these interactions.
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Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 40(6), 797–809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-021-00808-2 Costa, M., Matos, P. M., Santos, B., Carvalho, H., Ferreira, T., & Pinheiro Mota, C. (2022). We stick together! COVID-19 and psychological adjustment in youth residential care. Child Abuse and Neglect, 124, 105444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105370 Salgado, M., Neves, S., & Silva, E. (2023). Professionals’ perspectives on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among child and adolescent victims of domestic violence living in the Portuguese residential foster care system. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(10), 5826. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20105826 Additional information
Funding
The work was supported by the Coordinamento Nazionale Comunità per Minorenni di tipo familiare (CNCM).
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3875-8541
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