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It is acknowledged that care leavers experience an accelerated transition into adulthood, despite often having complex psychosocial needs with limited support networks. The 'Skills for Living' programme was designed to improve the psychological wellbeing of care leavers and offers an adapted Dialectical Behaviour Therapy skills group as its primary intervention. This paper provides a qualitative evaluation of the programme. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 10 participants, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Four key themes emerged: 'Initial Apprehension and Reluctance to Participate', 'Connection, Understanding and Validation', 'Confidence with Social Skills', and 'Emotional Acceptance and Self-Soothing'. Clinical implications and recommendations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Levels of self-harm for young people in care are high, and even higher for those in residential care. Recent research highlights the importance of understanding self-harm relationally. Such an approach may be of particular value for understanding the self-harm of young people in care. The aim of this research was to understand the experiences of young people who self-harm whilst living in residential care, with a particular focus on the effect of the care setting on their self-harm. Five young people participated in semi-structured interviews which were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes emerged: 'The black hole of self-harm', 'Seeking genuine care and containment', 'The cry to be understood' and 'Loss of control to the system.' Young people recognised their need for support with their self-harm, but organisationally driven approaches to managing risk contributed to a perception that the care offered was not genuine, which led to an unwillingness to accept care. The findings highlight the need for a more compassionate, relational response to young people who self-harm in residential care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resilience is a term used to describe an individual's adaptive coping following an adverse experience; it is important for gaining insight into the development of mental health difficulties in young people and their ability to manage adversity, informing both preventive and reactive clinical practice. Methods: The Delphi method was used whereby a panel of 15 clinical psychologists rated 67 statements, generated from focus groups with young people and interviews with multi-disciplinary staff, in terms of their importance relating to resilience for young people with complex mental health needs. A consensus level of 85% across the panel was set to include/exclude statements in terms of their importance for resilience. Results: Nineteen statements were included in the final list. These were grouped into the following four themes: (1) understanding the self, (2) agency in recovery, (3) interpersonal relationships and (4) therapeutic setting and relationships. Conclusions: The results highlight specific resilience factors for young people with complex mental health needs, based upon ratings by clinical psychologists. Recommendations are made which focus upon how to promote resilience within this specific population. These include offering secure therapeutic relationships and a safe environment for young people to make decisions, develop a greater understanding of themselves, and build relationships and a sense of connection with others, both within the specialist mental health service and upon discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents are perhaps the best placed individuals to comment upon their child’s life story, including early life experiences, transitions and their child’s needs. However, research has rarely focussed on the views of parents of young people who have committed serious offences. This research aimed to explore parents’ opinions of which factors may have led to their child becoming involved with the criminal justice system. Interviews were undertaken with six parents who were asked to narrate their child’s life journey into offending behaviours. The data were then analysed using narrative analysis techniques, and a shared story was created which incorporated the main transitional stages in the children’s journeys, as seen by the parents. The findings suggest that it is not just the child but the whole family who have been in a state of distress throughout the child’s life. Systemic and environmental factors are argued to contribute to this distress, and the use of diagnosis for this population is critically evaluated. The research highlights a life story in which the child’s and family’s distress remains unheard and therefore unresolved. Clinical implications for working with this population are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]