Hope and Siege: The experiences of parents whose children were placed in residential care

This qualitative study focused on research into the impact on parents of children's out-of-home placement. Twelve couples (24 parents) were interviewed. Three major themes emerged: (a) parents' perception of out-of-home placement as necessary because of children's destructive behavior and parents' victimhood; (b) parents' acknowledgment of positive changes in the child and the family, their pain surrounding the child's pressurizing to return home and fear of regression if this should come about; (c) guilt as a major emotion that impacts their couple relationship. The study results are evaluated in the context of research on parents' reactions to children's removal from home.