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Social Work vocabulary · Children, Families and Care

Residential care

Meaning in social work, with examples

nounCommon term

In social work, residential care means: Care in which people live in a staffed setting, such as a children's home or a care home for older or disabled adults, rather than in a family home.

In Turkish: kurum bakımı, yatılı bakım, kuruluş bakımı

How it is used

Used both for children (children's homes) and adults (care homes, nursing homes). For children, most countries now prefer family-based care and keep residential care for specific needs. Staff are called residential workers or care staff.

Example sentences

  1. After two foster placements broke down, he moved into residential care.

  2. Residential care fees for older people have risen sharply.

Common collocations

  • residential care home
  • residential care worker
  • move into residential care
  • residential childcare
  • foster careA form of care in which a child who cannot live with their own parents lives, for a short or long time, with another approved family.
  • placementThe home or setting where a child in care or an adult needing care is placed to live; also a period of supervised practice for social work students.
  • looked-after childA child who is cared for by a local authority, for example in foster care or a children's home, either under a court order or with the parents' agreement.
  • adult social carePractical and personal support for adults who need help because of age, illness or disability, such as home care, day centres and care homes.
  • respite careShort-term care for a disabled, ill or older person that gives their usual carer a break, lasting from a few hours to a few weeks.

More terms: Children, Families and Care

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