Peer Violence in Children's Residential Care

Much concern has been expressed about the scandal of physical and sexual abuse by care workers of children living in residential homes but this is the first detailed study of the major problem of violence between children. Based on extensive interviews with young people as well as staff, children's own perspectives and experiences of violence are highlighted. There is important new information about different levels of violence between homes, the significance of gender and group hierarchies, and strategies to tackle violence.

Christine Barter is Senior NSPCC Research Fellow with the University of Luton.

Emma Renold is a Lecturer in Childhood Studies at the Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University.

David Berridge is Professor of Child and Family Welfare at the University of Luton and Director of the Child and Family Welfare Research Unit.

Patricia Cawson is Head of Child Protection Research at the NSPCC.

List of Tables and Figures

ix

List of Vignettes

x

Acknowledgements

xi

1 Childhood, Peer Relationships and Peer Violence

1

(28)

Listening to children's voices

2

(1)

Perspectives on childhood

3

(1)

Children, young people and violence

4

(4)

Residential care for children

8

(2)

Bullying and peer violence in residential settings

10

(11)

Common themes on peer violence

21

(1)

The meaning of violence

22

(1)

Public/private dichotomy of violence

23

(1)

Gender and violence

23

(1)

The present study - research methods

24

(3)

Summary points

27

(2)

2 Mapping Peer Violence in Children's Homes

29

(30)

Conceptualising violence

29

(1)

Young people's evaluation of peer violence and verbal attacks

30

(1)

Types and levels of violence

31

(1)

Physical violence

32

(4)

Physical non-contact violence

36

(1)

Sexual violence

37

(2)

Verbal attacks and insults

39

(3)

Bullying

42

(2)

Staff evaluation of peer violence and verbal attacks

44

(1)

Peer violence in the previous month

45

(1)

Peer violence in the past year

46

(1)

Physical non-contact violence

47

(3)

Bullying

50

(1)

Sexual violence

51

(3)

Verbal attacks and insults

54

(2)

Developing a continuum of violence

56

(1)

Summary points

57

(2)

3 Young People's Perspectives on Violence

59

(20)

'We have our own rules': children's cultures and the normalisation of violence

60

(1)

'Seven months living here, you just get used to it': the importance of context

61

(2)

'Hi, I'm Ramon and I run this place': 'pecking orders' and peer group hierarchies

63

(2)

'He rules the place and bullies everyone': bullying as a 'natural' and inevitable peer group dynamic?

65

(2)

The masculinisation of physical violence

67

(1)

Challenging and transgressing passive femininities: girls and physical violence

68

(1)

The sexualisation of female violence

68

(1)

'I never hit him before he hits me': violence as social justice

69

(5)

'Standing ground' and 'saving face': projecting, protecting and maintaining 'hard' masculinities

74

(2)

'He acts like a two-year-old': age and immaturity as catalysts for violence

76

(1)

Summary points

77

(2)

4 Staff Perspectives on Violence

79

(25)

'They all know their little places': hierarchical peer group dynamics

80

(7)

Gender and violence

87

(6)

'Racist stuff just isn't allowed here': racial violence

93

(2)

'The youngsters just hit whilst the older lot are more subtle about it all': age and violence

95

(4)

'They've never been shown how to behave properly at home, so they just use violence to get through life': young people's backgrounds and understandings of violence

99

(3)

Summary points

102

(2)

5 Shared and Different Understandings of Violence

104

(35)

The use of vignettes

104

(2)

Physical attack - vignette A

106

(7)

Psychological attack - vignette B

113

(9)

Male on female sexual attack - vignette C

122

(8)

Male on male sexual attack - vignette D

130

(4)

Dominant discourses on violence

134

(2)

Linking meaning and experience

136

(2)

Summary points

138

(1)

6 Institutional and Organisational Factors Associated with Violence

139

(22)

Policies and procedures

140

(2)

Young people's assessments of policies and procedures

142

(3)

Children's rights

145

(1)

Young people's meetings

146

(3)

Referrals

149

(5)

Size and structure of the building

154

(1)

Function of the children's home

155

(1)

Staffing levels

156

(1)

Relating organisational and structural factors to the violence continnum

157

(3)

Summary points

160

(1)

7 Evaluating Working Practices

161

(23)

Seeking support and issues of disclosure

161

(6)

Evaluations of staff interventions

167

(15)

Summary points

182

(2)

8 Responding to Violence - Methods of Intervention

184

(19)

Sanction-based interventions

184

(3)

Physical restraint

187

(2)

Informal meetings

189

(1)

Formal meetings

190

(1)

Child protection procedures

191

(2)

Proactive working practices

193

(6)

Wider perspectives on reducing violence

199

(3)

Summary points

202

(1)

9 Conclusion

203

(26)

Summary of the research

204

(1)

Young people's experience of peer violence in residential care

205

(1)

Violence as a structured element of the group culture

206

(1)

The gendered nature of violence

207

(1)

Seeing what really happens or what is expected?

207

(3)

Hierarchies and the pecking order

210

(1)

Peers as both oppressors and supports

211

(2)

Justification narratives

213

(1)

The permeable institution and the community culture

214

(1)

Combating racism among young people

215

(1)

What is different about the residential setting?

216

(3)

Understanding the roots of violence

219

(1)

Tackling different levels of violence

220

(1)

Confronting peer violence - strategies and standards

221

(3)

Using the strengths of young people's culture

224

(1)

Supporting residential care

225

(2)

Peer violence: an aspect of social relations

227

(2)

Appendix A - Researching Violence

229

(2)

Appendix B - Analysing the Data

231

(2)

Definitions and conceptualisations of violence (what, how and why)

231

(1)

Contextualisation of violence (where and when)

231

(1)

Experience of violence (who)

231

(2)

Appendix C - Sample Breakdown

233

(2)

Young people

233

(1)

Staff

234

(1)

Bibliography

235

(13)

Index

248

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Peer Violence in Children's Residential Care

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials