“Getting involved”

Abstract

A large number of children around the world are currently living in residential children's homes and a central figure in those settings is the caregiver. The relationship children establish with their temporary caregivers can be a crucial factor in their lives.However, little research has been conducted with caregivers working in institutional settings regarding their experience and the relationship they establish with the children they care for.This article presents the results of a qualitative study conducted with 43 caregivers working in eight different residential children's homes in Chile. The information was gathered through focus groups and thematic analysis was conducted. The results show that caregivers report their experience of work and their relationship with children very positively and that this is characterized by their emotional involvement with children. This perspective appears to differ from that observed in large institutions in Europe, where there is some evidence that a more impersonal approach is predominant. However, it is acknowledged that this is based on caregiver perceptions which may or may not reflect cultural variations. The conclusion highlights the potential positive impact that caregivers can have on children's lives, alongside some factors that negatively affect caregivers' work, which could inform policy and procedures in order to provide better care for these children who (for various reasons) remain in residential care rather than family based care.

Youth-caregiver relationship quality in residential youth care: Professionals’ perceptions and experiences

“…Research acknowledges that, to provide caregivers with the optimal conditions to develop positive relationships with young people in RC, organizational climate should involve support and cooperation (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017; Colton & Roberts, 2007; Silva, Calheiros et al, 2022). Caregivers who perceive consistency in team interventions, team cooperation, and support between professionals (e.g., advice, emotional support), as well as caregivers who experience their job as rewarding and with opportunities for growth, present higher involvement (Barford & Whelton, 2010; Quiroga & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2016; Steinlin et al, 2017; Swan et al, 2018) thus improving the quality of their work (Williams & Glisson, 2014) and, consequently, YCRQ.…”

“…In fact, existing evidence examining the determinants of YCRQ has mainly focused on youth’s characteristics (e.g., age, gender; Cahill et al, 2016; Costa et al, 2020; Izzo et al, 2020; Quiroga & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2016) and professionals’ characteristics (e.g., individual attributes and skills; Harder et al, 2013; Moore et al, 2018; Sulimani-Aidan, 2016), overlooking an ecological perspective of these relationships. From an ecological perspective, YCRQ might be facilitated or inhibited by individual factors (such as youth’s and caregivers’ characteristics), but also by the RC organizational social climate, the relationship between the RC setting and other developmental contexts (meso system levels, such as the birth family or school context, and other community resources), as well as by macro system levels (such as actions from the national government entities and welfare ministry, and legal regulations).…”

“…Research exploring the organizational factors, such as the organizational social climate, as determinants of the quality of relationships between professionals and young people in RC, is scarce. To our knowledge, only a few qualitative studies addressed RC professionals and other key workers experiences and perspectives regarding the nature, quality and factors involved in the relationships developed with youth in this context (Cahill et al, 2016; Quiroga & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2016; Roche et al, 2021). These studies revealed that young people’s characteristics as well as staff’s personality and their capacity to positively engage with youth might enable relationship-based practices in RC (Cahill et al, 2016).…”

“…These studies revealed that young people’s characteristics as well as staff’s personality and their capacity to positively engage with youth might enable relationship-based practices in RC (Cahill et al, 2016). Moreover, while some of these studies suggest that caregivers play an important emotional role in the relationship with the children they work with (Quiroga & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2016; Roche et al, 2021), none of them have considered the perspectives of RC directors. Knowing the professionals’ perceptions and representations of YCRQ is of utmost importance given that these workers are considered the “key-element” of youth’s recovery and hold common misconceptions about what constitutes an effective childcare practice, with consequences to the quality of their interactions with the youth living in care (e.g., Bosk et al, 2020; Nordoff & Madoc-Jones, 2014).…”

Interrupting a cycle of placement instability with short-term residential care: Trauma-informed family-like relational practice in one specialist unit

“…Various working approaches have been developed for residential settings and, to varying extents, assessed (Weisz et al., 2013; Strijbosch et al., 2015). These often focus on strengthening carer–child relationships (Neimetz, 2011; Garcia Quiroga and Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2017) and promoting secure attachment (Burbidge, Keenan and Parry, 2020). Because of the prevalence of adversity and maltreatment, children need a stable nurturing environment, close trusting relationships (Huefner and Ainsworth, 2021), and trauma-sensitive caregiving to promote growth and recovery (Hart, LaValle and Holmes, 2015).…”