Abstract:
EXPLORATION OF THE EXPERIENCES OF CHILD CARE WORKERS AS EDUCATORS IN A PLACE OF SAFETY SUMMARY OF THE STUDY: This study aims to explore and describe the experiences of child care workers in their role as educators at a place of safety, in order to gain a better understanding of what they see as their educational task and the difficulties they experience in executing this task. The literature review provides a survey of the purpose of a place of safety, what education of children entails and the specific needs of children who experience trauma in their lives. Some of the factors that influence the way the care workers execute their task as educators, are discussed briefly. This qualitative case study is approached from the interpretative paradigm. Child care workers were engaged in individual interviews and a focus group discussion. The data-analysis leads to the following conclusions: • Although child care workers show understanding for the needs of the children in their care. And have a basic understanding of what education entails, aspects were identified in which they need training and support. • Child care workers show symptoms of burnout and reveal the need for supervision. • The way the institution is managed leaves child care workers dissatisfied, which leads to feelings of passivity, negativity, demotivation and a vengeful attitude.
