ABSTRACT
Residential provision for children constitutes a complex system. It is made up of many, diverse components, and is provided by many organisations and individuals. This chapter attempts to describe and compare some of the main features of the different types of residential provision and to determine a few of the underlying patterns and features of the total, rather diffuse system. It also attempts to set the scene for this task with a brief look at the children for whom this provision is made. Children in residential care can also be said to have in common a family context that has been judged inadequate to meet certain ends in the children's development and upbringing, which may include objectives concerned with health, behaviour, education or social adjustment. Differences among children are paralleled by striking differences between the types of provision made on the one hand for privileged children and on the other hand for the deprived.
