Residential Care Directors’ Perceptions of Desirable Characteristics of Caregivers for Orphaned and Separated Children

Abstract

Caring for, raising, and educating orphaned and separated children (OSC) is important work that is critical to the long-term well-being of those children. Despite the importance of caregiving, it can be overwhelming and stressful. Much of the available literature addresses the burdens of caregiving, without addressing the positive characteristics that caregivers need to deliver care in residences for OSC. This study's objective was to identify the desirable characteristics of caregivers through qualitative interviews with directors of residences for OSC across four countries: Cambodia, Ethiopia, India and Kenya. A total of 28 interviews were conducted in the directors' local languages. Interviews were transcribed, translated into English, and analyzed using NVivo software. A thematic analysis of the data yielded three domains: personal qualities, skills, and religion. Across all the study geographic regions, most participants looked for similar characteristics in caregivers, such as love, patience, teamwork and communication skills, especially communicating about difficult child behaviors. These findings can inform plans to enhance effective and sustainable caregiving at residential care sites for OSC and simultaneously benefit the well-being of caregivers. Residential care directors may consider organizing workshops on teamwork and communication skills that will help improve the quality of caregiving.

Perceived Worries and Spirituality: A Mixed Methods Study of the Primary Caregiver Well-Being of Orphan and Vulnerable Children in Ethiopia

“…Over 140 million orphans and vulnerable children exist worldwide, with Asia and Africa leading by an estimated 61 and 52 million, respectively [1,2]. The high prevalence of orphans and vulnerable children in Africa is strongly connected with economic and historical determinants such as poverty, natural disasters, war, and other health-related factors such as HIV/AIDS.…”

“…In Africa, orphans and vulnerable children's caregivers' fragile health conditions, limitations in terms of providing basic needs, and lack of adequate care and support are linked to their emotional stress, hopelessness, and perceived fear and worries about their children [1,12,13]. Caregiver well-being deficiencies in several instances, such as mental Children 2024, 11, 380 2 of 11 illness and emotional stress, were associated with children's low educational achievement [2,14,15].…”