Trauma-Informed Practices in Finnish Youth Residential Care Service Descriptions: A Qualitative Study

Residential care is a key component of child welfare systems, particularly for adolescents with complex support needs. Trauma-informed care (TIC) emphasizes safety, predictability, and supportive relationships by recognizing the pervasive impact of trauma on development. While previous research has examined TIC extensively at the program level, less is known about how trauma-informed elements are represented in residential care service descriptions used in public procurement processes. This study examined how trauma-informed elements are represented in Finnish residential care service descriptions and how these elements relate to one another. A qualitative content analysis of documents, complemented by a co-occurrence analysis, was conducted on 84 anonymized residential care service descriptions. Following an abductive approach, the codes were refined into three trauma-informed elements: dyadic, systemic, and integrated. Trauma-informed dyadic elements, particularly key-worker meetings, were most frequently described. Systemic elements such as structured routines, youth and parent participation, and multi-professional collaboration were also widely described. However, explicit integration of these elements was rare. While dyadic and systemic structures supporting safety and participation were described, limited integration across elements suggests a need for more coherent and context-sensitive TIC models that bridge relational and organizational practices. These findings may also inform international discussions on how trauma-informed care can be operationalized and integrated within residential care systems.