ABSTRACT
‘It’s not going very well tonight is it?’ It was indeed turning into one of those evening shifts dreaded by everyone who has worked in a children’s residential home. Two staff had phoned in sick at the last minute and it felt more and more as if everyone else, and in particular the senior managers, had abandoned and deserted the unit. Two of us, both relatively inexperienced, were left to look after the resident group of eight young people and as the evening went on our feelings of inadequacy and incompetence grew by the minute. We were working in a regional assessment centre for young people, although at times like these it felt as if survival rather than assessment was the key task. It was certainly our priority. I can’t remember exactly what happened that night. In the great scheme of things I suppose nothing very dreadful went on, and even if it had, we were so anxious we would probably have missed it.
