The interplay of youth and care characteristics with a positive social climate in therapeutic residential youth care

•Using a person-centered approach identified two setting types and four youth groups.•Few social climate differences exist between family-style and larger group settings.•The youth group with severe problems experienced the social climate most negatively.•The family problems group perceive involvement positively in family-style settings.•Policymakers should reject the one size fits all approach in residential youth care.