(Dis)placement in Youth Care: Countering Dynamics and Lived Experiences of Displacement

ABSTRACT This research article focuses on young people's lived experiences of displacement in youth care and investigates how social work might counter the dynamics and experiences of displacement in this context. Researching the potential role of social work in residential youth care accordingly shows how young people's right to youth care can be realized while embracing their lifeworld. We build on research insights emerging from a qualitative case study in the system of youth care in Flanders. We explore the meaning of youth care interventions in the dynamic interaction between young people and practitioners. Our analysis shows three particular, and interrelated, dynamics and experiences of displacement in youth care: (1) exclusion and discontinuity in the social register, (2) multiple displacement and permanent impermanence in the spatial register and (3) fight and flight in the register of power relationships. We end with conclusions regarding the dynamics of displacement caused by these different registers, yet also address how these can be countered.