A Comparison of Two Caregiving Models in Providing Continuity of Care for Youth in Residential Care

Abstract

This paper reports on a research study that examined differences in two care giving models (houseparent vs. child care worker) in providing continuity of care for youth in residential placement. Continuity is defined as interactions by caretakers with youth in care that are predictable, appropriate, and occur over an extended period time in order to establish a pattern on which youth can depend and anticipate. The house parent model assumes that a “family like” environment is needed in residential care, and can be best maintained by live-in workers referred to as house parents. The child care worker model uses rotating shift workers to staff residential units. Data for this research were collected in a residential facility that used both models, and are drawn from the staffing patterns in 16 cottages. The continuity of care was based on the longest tenure of a caregiver in a cottage and is reported as the ratio of the number of months that a cottage had the same caregiver(s). Continuity in the cottages ranged from .31 to 1.0. Cottages with house parents had higher levels of continuity than those residences with child care workers, but only at a level that approached significance (P < .138). However, child care workers had significantly more turnover than did house parents. The boy’s continuity ratio suggests boys on average had the same caretaker 75% of the time while the comparable percentage for girls was 57%. Girls were significantly more likely to have child care workers than house parents, and more likely at a level near significant to experience turnover among care givers.