“It is also just a house, so to speak.”: Youth Experiencing the Living Environment in Alternative and Traditional Residential Youth Care in the Netherlands

Over the past several decades, residential youth care (RYC) has faced several challenges in providing a positive living environment that meets the needs of youth. Traditionally, RYC has been characterized by short-term placements, groups with large numbers of youth (8–12), and placement on residential campuses with multiple RYC units. In recent years, alternative RYC settings have been developed with the aim to provide home-like, long-term and individualized care for youth within the community. These alternative settings include home-like groups and family-style group homes (with live-in professionals). The purpose of this study is to gain insight into youth experiences with the living environment in both alternative and traditional RYC. We interviewed 33 youth both alternative and traditional RYC. We used a combination of deductive and inductive coding to analyze the interview data. In alternative RYC settings, some youth mentioned a sense of home and emphasized their connections to social groups. As the shift to alternative RYC settings continues, we can expect to see more opportunities and fewer barriers to healthy development for youth in RYC. Some challenges remain in all RYC settings, such as the end of youth care at the age of 18, and distance from family members.