Informed choice: exploring occupational choices of young people in community-based residential care

Purpose: The relationship between occupational choice and context is a developing concept within the sphere of occupational science. Using an occupational justice perspective, this research explores how young people’s occupational choices are informed by the structure of the Irish children’s residential care system. In recent years, great strides have been made in legislation regarding the rights of this population. However, existing literature shows that young people with experience of residential care continue to be more at risk for poor life outcomes than the general population. This may be in part due to occupational injustices operating within the system. Methods: Five young people aged 14-17 currently living in community-based residential care were interviewed using a semi-structured, photo-elicitation method. The qualitative data was analysed thematically through a six-stage process. Findings: The context of the children’s residential care system both enables and restricts occupational choice. This is evident across four themes that emerged from the data: transient lifestyles, limited engagement in education, ambiguous daily routine, and reluctance to engage in co-occupations with residential staff. Conclusion: The data suggests occupational disruption, occupational imbalance, and a culture of learned helplessness may be informing the occupational choices of young people within this context, in turn impacting social health and well-being. In line with contemporary international studies, occupational therapy practice could play a valuable role in supporting young people involved in the Irish residential care system. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, further investigation is warranted.