Abstract:
The system for guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents in Brazil is quite broad and includes among its services institutional care programs to protect and care for children and adolescents who need temporary removal from family life. A modality of provisional care refers to childcare service ( Casa Lar ), offered in residential units in which at least one person works as a resident caregiver, welcoming a maximum of 10 children per home. This study proposes to know the life stories of three caregivers residing in an NGO in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, focusing on their motivations to begin and remain in the exercise of that profession. For this, the narratives about the life history of the interviewed women were used as the main instrument to encompass aspects of their personal and professional experiences. Their reports showed that the three caregivers occupied or occupy positions of care with their family, getting used to caring for the other, often giving up dreams and personal projects for this. However, their daily work also requires attention to technical dimensions in the scope of guaranteeing rights and the work environment, exceeding the dimension of caring for others. Therefore, it is necessary to think of alternatives to ensure effective technical and emotional support to caregivers so they can provide a welcoming and safe environment to the served subjects and protect their rights without hindering their personal life or mental health.
Keywords:
Resident Caregiver; Institutional Care; Casa-lar; Life History