Completed
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‘This Shared Parenting is Difficult to get Your Head Around’: Experiences of Parents and Carers During Their Child’s First Year at a Residential Therapeutic Special School: A Qualitative Study.
An investigation into the impact on parents and carers of having a child placed at The Mulberry Bush, including the relationship between parents, carers and the school.
About the project
This qualitative study used participant-led semi-structured interviews. There were fifteen interviews with the parents and carers of seven children. Phase one interviews focused on the reason for referral and the participants' experience of the child; phase two interviews reviewed their first year.
Key findings
- Parents and carers looking after traumatised children had previously received little support to develop their ability to reflect on their parenting role and their relationship with their child.
- Sharing the parenting of challenging children led to tensions between home and school.
- Parents and carers had little understanding of the approach of The Mulberry Bush.
- Home and school often had different expectations about a child's potential development during their time at the Mulberry Bush.
Publication
Onions, C. (2018). Retaining foster carers during challenging times: the benefits of embedding reflective practice into the foster care role. Adoption & Fostering, 42(3), 249–265.
For a copy of the full report, please email Caryn Onions at conions@mulberrybush.org.uk.
