Eighteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Much of the literature and discourse around children in residential care is framed in terms of trauma, recovery, and resilience and the ways in which these things can be addressed or fostered. While the importance of play is discussed and used in this field, joy seems to be somewhat absent in the conversation. What difference does it make to our thinking and our practice if we reframe the debate around the concept of joy? Drawing on data from an ethnographic research project (participant observation, qualitative interviews, and play-based methods) in a residential setting in Scotland, we argue that joy is important to healthy development and that framing the conversations we have about children in this way affects how we think and act in relation to them. Children in residential care are not just victims of past experiences, they are often masters in the art of joy and of drawing others into their joyful experiences. Following work on positive emotions, we argue that repeated experiences of joy provide opportunities for children to ‘broaden and build’ their resources for survival. Moreover, the shift in emphasis brings the children and their childhoods into focus rather than their trauma.