ABSTRACT
Objective:
to know the experience of institutional caregivers in child care.
Method:
qualitative research that used the Attachment Theory and the Symbolic Interactionism. Fifteen caregivers were interviewed, in 2015, in a child care institution based in a municipality in the south of Brazil. Data were analyzed through content analysis.
Results:
two categories emerged from the study: Embracing the children in the institution; Helping children adapt to institutionalization. Institutionalization imposes several social ills, such as abandonment and violence. These must be faced by caregivers, generating sadness and revolt. In addition, institutionalization leaves a mark on the child’s life, which belongs to no one, nor has his individuality and subjectivity preserved.
Conclusion and Implications for practice:
it is necessary to provide caregivers psychological support and Permanent Education so that they are supported in the work, improving the conditions of care offered to the child.
Keywords:
Child, Institutionalized; Caregivers; Interpersonal Relations; Qualitative Research; Nursing