A percepção dos cuidadores sociais de crianças em abrigos em relação ao processo de cuidar

Abstract

This research was developed in Uberlândia-MG, in a non-governmental shelter that receives children from 0 to 4 years old, victims from social violence and misery to which their families are exposed. The aim of this research was to know the social caregivers’ perception in relation to the infant growth and development and the care that is offered by them to the institutionalized children. A qualitative methodology was used based on the subjects’ free narrative technique starting from a guiding question: “What is working here in the shelter taking care of children like?” Three social caregivers who have worked in the Shelter for more than a year participated in the research. The data was analyzed through a content analysis, thematic analysis modality, in which the interviewed people’s speech articulates, with a possible theoretical explanation for it, according to bibliographic references and reflections and perceptions from the research authors. The content analysis results certified four meaning nuclei: THE ARRIVAL – this meaning nucleus portrays the child arrival in the shelter where the domestic violence is noticed as one of the starting factors of the process. THE DAY BY DAY – that is divided into: the routine, the recreation and the care. The day by day demands a lot from the caregivers who seemed involved, committed to take care of the children. However, they are not always technically prepared to understand the infant growth and development stages. THE WAIT– this meaning nucleus has a high complexity because its sub-themes portray the familiar reintegration or the children’s adoption process. That causes expectancy and anxieties because of uncertainties, and the processes’ concretization takes a long time, interfering in the infant growth and development. TO BE A CAREGIVER – it is emerged in these nucleus subthemes: work meaning and training. It is noticed the direct link between the caregivers’ domestic work and the performance with the children; the gender relation in the care and the perception lack of the caregivers related to working matters and a professional preparation to the care. Finally, it is observed that the nurses experiment in their practice all the care process, in several contexts, and that qualifies them to be inserted in the Shelter technical staff being able to be a helper to the development of a more suitable and shared care by the staff.