Resultado de la encuesta dirigida a clientes de la cartera vencida del Diario

“… you have been living with them since you were born” -Andrew

Introduction

Chapters Five, Six and Seven present an analysis of the meaning and significance of sibling and peer relationships based on the accounts of young people in the study, from care entry through to leaving care. They illustrate both the importance of such

relationships and the challenges which they can present, in terms of maintaining positive relationships and negotiating difficult ones. In accordance with the theoretical framework established in Chapters Two and Three, all three analysis chapters will be grounded in the importance of giving priority to a young peoples‟ standpoint, through presenting their own accounts of their sibling and peer relationships. This approach recognises and counters the historical lack of priority within research and policy given to children and young people‟s views in general (Wilson et al. 2003, Schofield et al. 2007), as well as to their inter-relationships in particular (Berridge 1997, Timms and Thoburn 2003). The chapters will also be specifically concerned with identifying young people‟s efforts at agency, in the form of constructing and maintaining sibling and peer

relationships. This approach acknowledges the unequal power relations with adults (identified in Chapters Two and Three) which characterise the lives of children in general (Mayall 2005, Wyness 2006), as well as highlighting the additional challenges faced by looked after young people, who are often powerless to influence decisions which affect their lives (Schneider and Phares 2005, Mason 2008).

Chapter Five presents a retrospective consideration of care entry, exploring the extent to which young people‟s accounts of their initial entry into care reflected separation from, or changes in, their relationships with siblings due to becoming looked after. Chapter Six will focus on the young people‟s accounts of being in care, and will therefore look in

detail at the effects of long-term care on their sibling and peer relationships. Chapter Seven will consider both the expectations and the reality of the impact of leaving care on such relationships, in the context of circumstances of multi-dimensional material and social disadvantage such as poverty, homelessness and isolation.

Out of the eighteen young people who participated in the study, twelve were living in care at the time of interview, three were preparing to leave care, and three had left care. They had entered care at varying ages, between two and fifteen years old. Therefore their accounts represent a diversity of viewpoints, from those who were looking back on their time in care, as well as those who were looking forward in anticipation of leaving care. Their experiences may also reflect different eras of childcare policy (Frost and Parton 2009), which may have affected professional decision making both at the point of placement and subsequently. Therefore this chapter, and the two subsequent analysis chapters, recognise the considerable variation across time and situation contained within participants‟ accounts. Nevertheless they aim to identify cross-cutting themes across accounts, while at the same time not losing sight of individual stories.

Although the disruption to friendships for children entering care has been identified as a significant theme within existing literature (Ward et al. 2005, Children‟s Rights Director

2005, 2009b, Gilligan 2009), it was noticeable that none of the participants chose to talk about their peers in relation to their initial entry into care. It must be admitted this may be due to the form which the interviews took; the topic schedule was not followed rigidly, and where the subject of entering care was raised, the young person was invited to take the discussion in whichever direction they chose. However, it may also have reflected other factors, such as young people‟s age at the time of entering care, or their priorities at the point of interview. For participants who entered care at a young age, subsequent friendships may have taken the place of those initially lost. For others, the relationship with, or separation from a sibling may have taken priority in their accounts over thinking about friendships. Many young people did talk about their peers in other parts of the

interviews, illustrating the significance of those relationships while living in care, and these themes will be explored in Chapter Six.

Chapter Five, then, examines participants‟ accounts in relation to entering care, through two main themes. The first reflects the impact of entering care on sibling relationships, through the young people‟s accounts of separation and loss, against a background of their difficult social circumstances. It recognises the degree of powerlessness present in their lives at the time, and explores small but significant examples of young people asserting their views in order to influence adult decisions or strengthen their sense of self esteem.

The second theme concerns the benefits of maintaining sibling relationships for young people entering care. It illustrates their importance in promoting a sense of familial and individual identity, highlighting in particular the tenacity of sibling attachments which began prior to entering care. It emphasises the ability of such relationships to endure over time, and to provide specific benefits to siblings in terms of emotional and practical support. It also considers instances where such pre-existing attachments were founded upon a caring role between siblings, exploring the importance of such a role for the current and future well-being of siblings.

The chapter then concludes by considering the ways in which its findings, relating to the significance of sibling relationships for young people at the point of entering care,

confirm and take forwards known research, as well as highlighting implications for policy and practice.