CAUSAS Y CONSECUENCIAS DEL CLIMA ORGANIZACIONAL

As previously argued, the importance of children‟s views has been largely missing in the literature concerning children‟s relationships, as a significant proportion of research related to children‟s views has been conducted from adult perspectives. However, there is a small but interesting body of literature from children, concerning what is important

within their relationships with each other. This section will consider some of the views of children within the general population on their sibling and peer relationships. This will contextualise the discussion in Chapter Three of looked after children‟s views on their relationships, and how they are affected by being looked after.

The relationship between siblings is often characterised by informality, and children feel able to express anger or frustration and be themselves in a way which they cannot do with friends (Punch 2008):

“There‟s no point in not being yourself because they‟ve grown up with you and they know what you‟re like.” (Punch 2008: 335).

There is some evidence of gendered differences in sibling interaction, as evidenced by Edwards et al. (2006) who found that girl siblings tended to engage through talk, and

boy siblings through activity, with gendered power relations dictating that activity was favoured in boy / girl sibling pairs. Being a sibling can mean having a close bond with other children because the relationship is seen as permanent:

“You know they‟re always going to be there, don‟t you, and there‟s someone you can rely on. It‟s not like [a] friend who might turn round and go, you know, „sorry I don‟t like you any more‟, there‟s always the tie between you.” (Punch 2008: 339).

Children with disabled siblings often refer to normal joint activity, rather than to the implications of their disability:

“I play with her sometimes. She is fun having around. We don‟t get along with each other all the time. We argue, nag and sometimes fight. The most annoying time is

when we have our breakfast when she has the whole of tomato ketchup.”

(Stalker and Connors 2004: 225).

Children often talk positively about their disabled siblings, describing them

affectionately, as well as being protective or feeling responsible towards them (Connors and Stalker 2003). Another similar study found that amongst those interviewed, all the

siblings of disabled children were concerned with the future of their disabled sibling, and some had committed to caring for their sibling permanently in the future (Burke 2004).

In research conducted with children living in poverty, older siblings have been identified as someone to confide in, and as someone who provides an element of safety when entering an area seen as risky (Hill et al. 2006). In other studies, older brothers and

sisters have identified themselves as providing care and protection to younger siblings, whilst siblings have talked about standing up for each other outside the home

environment (Edwards et al. 2006). Sibling groups have also been found to be

important in providing a sense of identity (Edwards et al. 2006).

Children‟s and young people‟s accounts also illustrate the wide range of benefits which can be derived from friendships. They can provide children with emotional support, advice and help, listening, respect, caring, and can also mean someone to share secrets and have fun with (Morrow 2004). The nature of friendships can vary across gender, as evidenced by one study which found gendered differences between the accounts of boys and girls: the girls‟ accounts related more to individual friends than the boys, and the importance of support, trust, and being there for each other; whilst the boys accounts although also concerned with trust, were more focused on someone to keep them company and have fun with (Morrow 2004). Children can gain a major sense of belonging from friends, demonstrated by one study which found that the extent to which they liked their neighbourhood was connected to how geographically close their friends were (Morrow 2003). Children in this study who were asked to photograph important places, took photos of places they would meet friends such as parks and friends‟ houses. They also described living, or wanting to live in, areas where there were many friends of their own ethnicity (Morrow 2003). Children have also identified moving home or school as causing disruption to their social networks (Morrow 2004). Disabled children have been found to place particular emphasis on friendships as a means of socialising and having fun (Sloper et al. 2009). One study found that disabled

children valued friendships for making them feel happy; however restrictions concerning the choice and location of schools could affect friendships (Connors and Stalker 2003).

Poverty has been found to have a severe impact on children‟s friendships, as evidenced by one study which revealed that children found it harder to get to the places where their friends were, or to do activities with them. They also found it more difficult to afford to go on school trips, and often did not fit in because of the state of their clothes (Ridge 2006). However, friends can also play a particularly important role in the lives of children subject to poverty and social disadvantage, acting as a protective factor (Hill et

al. 2006). Hill et al. found that children often kept each other safe, by going out together

or by making contact to ensure a friend had returned home safely. They also found that friends made children feel good through offering reassurance and support, and that having friends in the area made it a good place to live (Hill et al. 2006).

Taken together these findings, drawing on children‟s own views, provide evidence of the important role of siblings and friends within children‟s lives across a range of social settings. It has been demonstrated that children value these relationships, and that they often provide care, support and protection. Siblings and peers have been seen to contribute to children and young people‟s sense of well-being and social inclusion, particularly where children experience discrimination or oppression. The lives and relationships of looked after children are subject to considerable adversity, and yet have been given limited attention within the research field; consequently it is of particular importance to explore their own perspectives. In doing this it may be possible to gain a greater understanding of the impact of adversity on their relationships. It may also be possible to learn more about how their relationships enable them to cope in such circumstances.