Orphanage caregivers' perceptions: The impact of organizational factors on the provision of services to orphans in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Care-'less': exploring the interface between child care and parental control in the context of child rights for workers in children's homes in Ghana

BACKGROUND

This study explored how employed caregivers experience the interface between child care, parental control and child rights in the context of Children's Homes in Ghana. The focus was on investigating caregiver perceptions of proper child care, their experiences with having to work with child rights principles and the implication of these for their relationships with the children and the care services they deliver.

METHODS

Adopting a qualitative approach with phenomenological design, data were collected from 41 caregivers in two children's homes in Ghana using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews.

RESULTS

It emerged that caregivers experienced frustrations with perceived limitations that child rights principles place on their control over the children describing it as lessening and, at the same time, complicating the care services they provide.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest a need for a review of the implementation strategies of the child rights approach in that context. A re-organization of the children's homes environment and re-orientation of caregivers and children regarding their relationship is also suggested.

On the periphery of HIV and AIDS: Reflections on stress as experienced by caregivers in a child residential care facility in South Africa

Few researchers have investigated how female caregivers of institutionalised children, especially those affected by HIV and AIDS, experience stress. The role played by caregivers cannot be overemphasised; yet caregivers who work in institutions caring for orphaned and/or abandoned children affected by HIV and AIDS, are often marginalised and on the periphery of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The implication is that insufficient attention or consideration is given to the importance of the role they play in these children's lives. The objective of the study was to explore how female caregivers of institutionalised children affected by HIV and AIDS experience stress. A qualitative research project with a case study design was conducted. The purposively selected participants from a previously identified care facility were seven females in the age ranges of 35-59. Data was gathered during individual interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic content analysis of the data yielded the following themes: (1) contextualising caregiving as 'work'; (2) stresses linked to caregiving; and (3) coping with stress. Findings from this study indicated that participants experienced caregiving in an institution as stressful, demotivating, and emotionally burdensome. Moreover, caregivers working in an environment of HIV and AIDS experienced additional stress related to organisational and management impediments, lack of emotional and practical support, inadequate training, discipline difficulties, and lack of respect and appreciation from the children in their care. It is recommended that training and management support as well as personal support and counselling for caregivers in the institutional context could help them to cope better, feel empowered and to potentially elevate their status as valued members of society.