Violence worsens in children's homes when permanent staff are replaced by others, a new study has found. Staff changes mean new separations for children already hurt by rejection and this leads to aggression, the study's author, Mr Andrew Fagan, writes.
His study is based on his work as manager of an Irish home which closed down last year. The results appear in the first issue of the Irish Journal of Social Work Research, published by the Irish Association of Social Workers and edited by Mr Kieran McGrath.
Mr Fagan found that:
Most assaults occurred when there were one or more temporary staff members on duty.
Children tended to be more violent at the start of their placements when they were most insecure.
The number of assaults rose sharply when the manager was away for six weeks.
Mr Fagan writes that insecurity in relationships leads to more aggressive behaviour in children who have suffered significant rejection or loss. "Staff turnover is high in many residential units, so the young people constantly have to deal with loss," he writes.
To reduce aggression, children's homes need to provide stability "and opportunities for young people to form appropriate attachments to members of staff."
But in the home which he managed, "when it became difficult to provide the stability that the young people needed, due to factors such as staff turnover, it was also more difficult to contain their violence."
Mr Fagan found that violence was reduced when permanent staff worked in small teams.
Children who have been out of home long enough to become streetwise are much more difficult than others to place successfully in care, according to an Eastern Health Board social worker, Ms Siobhan Connolly, writing in the Journal.
"Vulnerable children in communities need to be identified and helped at a much earlier age if we are to reduce the numbers reaching this stage of crisis," she writes.