The Effect of Boarding Schools` Characteristics on the Attitudes of Boarding-School Directors Regarding the Need for Professional Accreditation and Licensing of Residential Caregivers
2the Division for Quality in Social Services, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute (MJB)
Background
Boarding schools for at-risk children are out-of-home frameworks provided by the social service system to care for children whose family and community environments are unable to meet their needs properly in various areas. The caregivers working in boarding schools are the key figures responsible for their daily care. However, evidence has shown that the caregivers exhibit a high rate of burnout and turnover, which begs the question whether they receive adequate training and support to perform their job in a way that meets the children`s needs. Increasingly, in Israel and abroad, there has been acknowledgment of the need to invest effort to upgrade the caregivers` position into a recognized profession.
Goal
To examine how boarding-school characteristics affect the attitudes of boarding-school directors towards accreditation and professionalization of the role of the residential caregivers.
Study Method
A survey was administered to 95 boarding-school directors using open and closed questions.
Findings
The operational model of the boarding schools has an effect on the attitudes of boarding-school directors toward professionalizing the role of the residential caregivers. The rate of directors in the group residential care model who believe that the role of the caregiver should become a recognized profession is higher than the rate of directors in the family-style residential care model who believe so.
Implications
The study discusses the possibility that accreditation and professionalization of the role of the caregivers working in boarding schools in Israel will provide a solution to the difficulties and challenges facing the caregivers in the group residential care model of the boarding schools.