ABSTRACT
Residential homes are not static and to understand them fully, they need to be visited over a period of time. When looking at the movement of staff, the arrival and departure of children or alterations to the fabric, aims and philosophy of a home, patterns emerge that may not be apparent on a single visit. The prospect of change can be threatening but in the nine homes it was also found to have benefits. Changes to the physical environment and fabric of the home were of a different nature at Indigo. Despite the threats of Gary at the dinner table described in the previous chapter, the initial visit found an attractive house, colourfully decorated and well resourced, with its own music room, games area and television lounge. Changes to the composition of the people living and working in a home potentially involve children, staff and managers.
