Young people living in therapeutic residential care can  face major challenges that may prevent them from forming healthy relationships and connections within the community, which are critical building blocks for their wellbeing and safety. As a response to these challenges, Australia has introduced ‘therapeutic residential care’ (TRC) models in a number of states and territories. In Australia, TRC was developed to respond to highly complex levels of need, for those young people who were unable to live in a family or other home-based care arrangement. 

 This paper presents research which explored whether and how relational practices in TRC enable the experience of positive, trusting relationships for young people. Young people between the ages of 12 and 18 years (N = 38) reported developing trust when staff genuinely invested time in their wellbeing, demonstrated care and respect, and made them feel valued. Conversely, the lack of these practices and/or particular organisational and systemic conditions were considered barriers by some, that could lead to ‘misrecognition’. Drawing directly from the lived experience as recounted by young people currently living in residential care, the researchers conceptualise and introduce a new dimension of relational practice in residential care settings.