“And then I was back home again…” lived experiences of young people returning to their families from residential care
Loading...
Authors
Author (Corporation)
Publication date
11.2026
Type of student thesis
Course of study
Type
01A - Journal article
Editors
Editor (Corporation)
Supervisor
Parent work
Children and Youth Services Review
Special issue
DOI of the original publication
Link
Related research data
Series
Series number
Volume
190
Issue / Number
Pages / Duration
109237
Patent number
Publisher / Publishing institution
Elsevier
Place of publication / Event location
Edition
Version
Programming language
Assignee
Practice partner / Client
Abstract
Returning to the family from out-of-home care is a critical life event with profound implications for young people’s social and personal development. Yet, their voices and lived experiences are rarely represented in research on this transition. Drawing on biographical-narrative interviews with 18 young people (aged 14–18) who have returned to their families from residential care in Switzerland, this study explores how the young people experienced their return. Data analysis employed Reconstructive Grounded Theory, integrating narrative analysis and Grounded Theory to develop a nuanced understanding of young people’s return experiences. An empirically grounded typology of six experience types is presented, based on young people’s Agency in the decision to return, their sense of Belonging to the residential care facility and their families, and their Post-Return Trajectory. It captures the diversity of return experiences, from straightforward transitions to crises following return. Building on this typology, recommendations for policy and practice are provided. By centering young people’s perspectives, the study contributes to a more differentiated understanding of return experiences from residential care and to a growing body of research that emphasizes the voices of young people within child welfare.
Keywords
Event
Exhibition start date
Exhibition end date
Conference start date
Conference end date
Date of the last check
ISBN
ISSN
0190-7409
1873-7765
1873-7765
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
peer-reviewed
Open access category
Hybrid
License
Citation
Osswald, J. (2026). “And then I was back home again…” lived experiences of young people returning to their families from residential care. Children and Youth Services Review, 190, 109237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109237