Sticking with us through it all: The importance of trustworthy relationships for children and young people in residential care

Both historical and contemporary residential care for children have been found to present risks to their safety and security. Views about the characteristics of workers that helped them to feel safe in the placement were obtained from 27 children and young people who were placed in residential care in Australia. Competent and trustworthy staff were considered essential. These workers were characterised as caring, proactive, tenacious in building relationships, and available. Importantly, they listened and ensured young people had a voice. The study affirms the central role of the worker-client alliance in ensuring residential care is a positive and safe experience for children and young people, and identifies structural factors that children and young people believe are barriers to them feeling safe. •Young people are vulnerable to experiencing sexual abuse in residential care and need staff to protect them from harm•Participants stressed the importance of every young person having an available, trusted and powerful adult to turn to•Structural and organizational barriers keep young people from being protected and forging protective alliances with adults•High staff-turnover, instability of placements and a lack of clarity of roles all affect staff ability to protect children•Young people need opening and opportunities to shape the ways that adults and institutions identify and respond to their abuse, including feedback.