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

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.

Duke Scholars

Author Kathryn Whetten Sanford School of Public Policy

Author Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell Duke Global Health Institute