The Celebration of Life’s Milestones and Significant Events: A Course-Based Qualitative Inquiry into Milieu Relational Work in Child and Youth Care Residential Programs

There has been little focus on the milieu relational work in child and youth care (CYC) residential programs for children and youth specific to the celebration of life’s milestones and events. The goal of this course-based study is to improve understanding of how CYC practitioners initiate and celebrate milestones and significant events with children and youth in care. The study uses interpretivism to identify and understand phenomena from the perspective of the individuals who have direct experience of the phenomena under investigation. Data was collected using an anonymous Google forms questionnaire. An interpretive thematic analysis of the data revealed four themes: (1) quality time with loved ones, (2) importance of acknowledgement (e.g., of youth’s wants and needs), (3) awareness of implementing culture, and (4) building connections and creating memories.

1179 Barriers To Sleep Among Children Exposed To Adversity

Introduction Children exposed to adversity (e.g., homelessness, poverty) are at risk of poor sleep. Community settings that serve these children, both residential (e.g., foster care group homes, shelters) and non-residential (e.g., early care and education, schools), hold important understandings to the barriers to sleep they experience. We surveyed a heterogeneous national sample of community-based organizations (CBOs) in our Pajama Program sample to explore these barriers. Methods Pajama Program, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit, administered an online needs assessment in May 2016 to staff at 3,911 CBOs. This poster reports on qualitative responses to the question, What are the primary barriers to sleep and bedtime among children your organization serves? Responses from residential and non-residential CBOs were analyzed separately. Two trained coders independently used the constant comparative method to analyze transcripts. Results Survey respondents (1,635) provided services in non-residential (42%), residential (18%) and combined (43%) settings. Organizations provided child welfare/foster care (20.6% of programs); transitional housing/shelter (20.5%); social services (15.6%); and early care and education (12.7%) services. Responses to the target open-ended item were from 127 non-residential and 55 residential programs. Sleep barriers common to both settings included: late/irregular bedtimes; no bedtime routine; lack of sleep education; housing/food insecurity; stress; disrupted/uncomfortable sleep; and adapting to new environments. Trauma was a barrier among residential (vs. non-residential) programs. Non-residential providers noted unstable family situations, bedding insecurity, and poor sleep hygiene. Conclusion Our research highlights barriers to sleep among children exposed to adversity, a largely understudied yet high risk group. Barriers reported by residential and non-residential CBOs were more similar than different. was Across program types and settings, CBOs expressed a need for sleep health education interventions for children and caregivers. Support Funding for this project was provided by Pajama Program, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit.