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Towards a Theory of the Everyday: The Ordinary and the Special in Daily Living in Residential Care

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Abstract

This paper begins with a debate about the relative place of ‘ordinary’ and ‘special’ approaches to everyday living with young people in residential care and treatment. It argues for a considered approach to this distinction between the ordinary and the special, based on assessments of children's needs and stages of development, and on the purpose of their residential placement. From this beginning it enters into a broader proposal about the need for a comprehensive ‘theory of the everyday’ in residential work. The argument focuses on the need for an underpinning framework for the planning and analysis of daily group care practice with young people. Finally, it explores how different assumptions and theoretical frameworks may operate in support of a programme for everyday practice which is differentiated according to the needs of the children and the task of the organisation.

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Correspondence to Adrian Ward.

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Ward, A. Towards a Theory of the Everyday: The Ordinary and the Special in Daily Living in Residential Care. Child & Youth Care Forum 33, 209–225 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CCAR.0000029686.10310.49

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CCAR.0000029686.10310.49

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