Welcome to Young Researcher Winter!

Hiya, my name is Winter, and I am an ex-resident of a Foyer. Currently, I am at university while living in my own flat with my partner and our cats, but I am from a care-experienced background. 

I am excited to tell you about the work I am doing with the Foyer Federation. In short, I have been asked to run a research project, focused on developing evidence and understanding of the role that words and language can play in harnessing people’s strengths and current abilities when supporting them within a Foyer.

As a psychology student, I have a thorough understanding of how important it is to navigate sensitive situations carefully, which is best achieved through strengths-based approaches. Unfortunately, however, many support workers are still yet to catch up to this, often focusing on a person’s flaws or the situation they are in or that got them there. I am aiming to present the need for careful consideration of support work practices through objective research and data.

Hopefully, this research will encourage people both in and outside supported housing contexts to reflect upon their practices and learn to adapt them according to what is best fit for the service users in question.

I am beyond grateful for the opportunity that the Foyer Federation is offering me, and I cannot wait to see where this goes!