Topic: Violence and abuse

CoBa: COVID-19 and adolescents’ experiences living in Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs).

The COVID-19 pandemic and preventive measures enacted to control the spread of the virus can be particularly taxing for children living in Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) as living in an RCCI involves a higher risk for isolation, poorer accessibility to health care services and less contact with parents, siblings and other family members. 

 
2020 This project has been completed 2022

Project Manager

  • Hafstad, Gertrud Sofie

    Hafstad, Gertrud Sofie

    Head of Section / Research Professor / PhD

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Project Members

Main objective

Living in RCCIs put children at an increased risk for experiencing abuse of power and loss of fundamental human rights. The COVID-19 pandemic and  associated preventive measures potentially exacerbates the risk for isolation, poor accessibility to health care services and reduced contact with parents and other family members. Additionally, children living in RCCIs often present with individual and family risk factors that can worsen during times of crises like the present one. The main aim of the present study is therefore to gain knowledge about how living in RCCIs has been during a pandemic and what types of follow-up and care has been provided. 

Method

The study is based on an anonymous web-based survey from 90 children between 12-18 years of age. The study adheres to a cross-sectional design. To some extent, questions are overlapping with the UEVO- and COPE-youth studies, two Norwegian prevalence studies on adolescents’ violence and abuse experiences during their life-time and during the first lock-down after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.