Problem posing during the COVID-19 pandemic: rethinking the use of residential childcare

Starting a new residential childcare service can be a daunting task at the best of times and, it could be argued, even more daunting during the wake of a global pandemic. Located in North Ayrshire, Compass Child and Family Services is a small charity providing support to children and families. The charity's first children's house, named Taigh Araich (which translated from Gaelic to English means Nurture House), opened its doors to its first child during March 2020. The charity utilises the Social Pedagogy perspective within its philosophy of care and is beginning to connect the perspective to the Scottish context. In this article Joe Gibb, residential service manager at Taigh Araich, provides an overview of some of the learning that has taken place during the past five months. Joe concludes by arguing that social pedagogy and the GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) national practice model in Scotland, have an excellent fit in which a new residential childcare paradigm could emerge as society begins to make sense of the new normal that awaits its citizens.