Institutional care experiences and relationship dynamics of individuals raised in children's homes: A qualitative study

The purpose of this study is to examine the institutional care experiences of individuals raised in children's homes and how these experiences reflect on relationship dynamics, independent living skills, and personal development processes within the framework of systems theory. The research was conducted using a phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research designs. Participants were selected using purposive sampling and reached through snowball sampling, comprising a total of 26 individuals (10 women, 16 men). Data were collected through in-depth interviews recorded on audio; after transcription, they were transferred to the MAXQDA 2024 program and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. During the analysis process, 4 main themes, 13 sub-themes, and 70 codes were identified; a total of 1320 codings were performed. Research findings indicate that children's homes support individuals' psychosocial development and adaptation to social life, contributing to the strengthening of relationship-building and independent living skills. However, it has been determined that this contribution is limited by factors such as instability in institutional services, differences in practices between institutions, stigmatization, and a lack of post-institutional guidance. Participants stated that the skills they acquired in children's homes made significant contributions to their personal development, but that they did not receive adequate guidance, psychosocial support, and employment guidance during the process of leaving the institution and afterwards. These findings indicate that, in order to use the current potential of the service model more effectively, it is necessary to strengthen implementation integrity, staff continuity, social awareness, and post-institutional support mechanisms. In conclusion, this study highlights the aspects of the children's home service model that support individual and social development, while providing a comprehensive assessment of the areas that need to be strengthened for the model to be more effective and sustainable.