Location, Location, Location matters for Residential Child Care
A Lancet journal article (Why cities matter for adolescent mental health and wellbeing published: October 09, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02238-9
This blog presents an opportunity to look again at some specific aspects of ‘close to home’ thinking.
Distance is always a factor in decision making (see note below).
Felt security that the most important factor in decision making about where a child needs to be living.
This blog raises the possibility that we need to take into account more factors than we perhaps currently do.
The Lancet article summaries well: “Multilevel interventions that align inner or individual skills (eg, emotional regulation or belonging), social network capacities and social structures (eg, stigma reduction and strengthened social networks), and environmental domains (eg, service access) towards inner development, and activate these interventions to create sustained and evolving impacts for adolescents and communities, can transform urban environments into mental health-promoting contexts for all adolescents”.
Every children’s homes needs to undertake a regular risk and resilience assessment of their location
- what and where the risks and how can they be mitigated
- what and where are the strengths and resources and how can they be accessed
The article suggest we need thorough thinking to be included about not just the pragmatics but of social and environmental factors that are contributors to challenging wellbeing and mental health, such as poverty, conflict, violence, and environmental health. These factors add stress to an emotional climate beyond the front door and are inescapable factors.
As a children’s home placement is an investment, professionally, personally, financially for the future life of children we need to have the widest and deepest factor analysis in evaluating the location of a home.
Every home needs to be a secure emotional base (see www.uea.ac.uk/securebase ). A protective and supportive home is essential for the acquisition of strategies and problem-solving and interpersonal skills, and problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
The Lancet article advises us that” urban living, as compared with rural living, is associated with a higher risk of poor mental health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and some psychotic disorders, along with an increased risk of concentrated poverty, low social capital, social segregation, and other social and environmental adversities”, and that these “ mental health challenges have long-term effects on social disability and other adverse economic outcomes in adulthood.” There are other challenges that accompany urban living: “marginalisation, exclusion, sedentary lifestyles, and issues of safety and security”
However, urbanisation also generates opportunities for adolescents to more easily access economic opportunities, foster interpersonal connections, engage in placemaking, and construct personal identities—all of which are linked to improved health and wellbeing.
It depends. How does the location enable access to quality education and health care?
Does the location support easy access to physical activity inn “safe and well maintained public spaces”, where there are sufficient recreational facilities, and traffic is not a factor safety.
Location thinking needs to be on multiple levels. It needs to be planned with regard to good-enough infrastructure.
The Lancet article summaries well: “Multilevel interventions that align inner or individual skills (eg, emotional regulation or belonging), social network capacities and social structures (eg, stigma reduction and strengthened social networks), and environmental domains (eg, service access) towards inner development, and activate these interventions to create sustained and evolving impacts for adolescents and communities, can transform urban environments into mental health-promoting contexts for all adolescents”.
Distance – psychological and geographical – local, regional, national: as local as possible and as specialised as necessary, can only be determined with granularity of need.
It is only with such granularity that the analysis of distance can be meaningfully made. NCERCC has undertaken research reviews of distance. This will be addressed again elsewhere, there is the need to appreciate the psychology of distance in terms of safety and security, emotional wellbeing, sometimes being near can be too close psychologically. There are comparisons made in the report of distance of fostering and children’s homes from the home area. Increased need in every aspect requires a consideration where best to be located. Locally, regionally, and nationally, as local as possible and as specialised as necessary, can only be determined with granularity of need.
