Introduction

This chapter focuses on the various forms of evidence about the nature, prevalence and trends in problem and offending behaviours in the 10 children's homes in the study. The sources of data in this chapter are based on four sets of organisational records: incident records from care staff (2001-07); police call-outs to homes (2001-07); number and proportion of children looked after for more than a year with a record of offending (2001-07); and use of the out-of-hours service in two comparable periods during the field research (2006 and 2007). When interpreting this trend data, the reader is reminded that all staff were trained in the use of a restorative justice (RJ) approach during 2005, with some staff completing the course in early 2006. In addition, evidence from staff interviews (reported in depth in Chapter Five in relation to implementing RJ) is cited in this chapter where this helps to illustrate issues relating to managing problem and offending behaviours in residential care.

Living in residential care

Care and ‘risk’

It has already been noted in Chapter Two that problem and offending behaviours have long been associated with the care experience, particularly in relation to the residential care environment. This has helped to further stigmatise young people in care, with some debate about the extent to which the residential care environment may itself be ‘criminogenic’, inferring that the environment or context of care adds to the risks of becoming involved in crime. It is a concept based on the risk and protective factors paradigm that offers one explanation of the development of offending behaviour (see, for example, Farrington, 1996). We know that children in care have more risks in their lives than most children in the community. We also know that the likelihood of offending increases when more risks are present and that life-course transitions and turning points are very important in relation to the development of anti-social and offending behaviour (Farrington, 2002).

So what is it about being in residential care that might add to or amplify the existing risks that a young person in residential care gets involved in problem or offending behaviour? At the very least, going into care represents a turning point in a young person's life and one that may prove positive or negative.