Manuela Garcia Quiroga - University of Birmingham Dr Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis - University of Bath

1. Characteristics of Institutional Care
in Chile: What do Carers bring to
the relationship with Looked After
Children?
Manuela Garcia Quiroga - University of Birmingham
Dr. Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis - University of Bath
psmanuelagarcia@gmail.com

2. Large number of children living in alternative care
•(18,878: rate of 42 per 10,000)
Changes in residential placements
•(70.1% childrens homes. 29.9% Foster Care)
•253 Childrens homes (60% with max. 30 children)
No published study evaluating these recent changes and
its outcomes for attachment.
Aim of the research: To study the attachment
representations and relational patterns in children and
their temporary caregivers in Chile

3. Alternative Care in Chile
Foster
Care
priority
under 6
New Foster Care Programmes, Family-
Type Children´s Homes and few “old-
big” institutions
Transition
Length
Placem.
Placement seen as temporary. Can lead
to change of placement in order to
achieve targets.
Reunion
with
biological
Family
Recent
Reports
raise
Concern
Visits are encouraged. Quality of bonds
and impact of visits not always
assessed. Prolonged placements.
253
Children´s
Homes
Private
Age/
Gender
Reasons
for
placement
(Judicial)
Some institutions with low quality of Care. Lack
of governmental support and supervision.
Foster Care run by different institutions.
Problems in recruiting and supervising.
Parental Inability, Neglect,
Moral or Material Danger

4. Methods
Design: Cross sectional study
Sample: 17 managers. 40 institutional and foster child/caregiver dyads.
Quantitative /qualitative factors.
Instruments:
• 1) Attachment representations in children (Attachment Story Completion Task, ASCT. Bretherton et. al,
1990)
• 2) Possible attachment disorders (Indiscriminate friendliness Interview, Chisholm, 1998).
• 3) Child-Caregiver interaction (CCERRS. McCall, Groark, & Fish 2010).
• 4) Presence of Behavioral Problems (CBS Mc Call & Groark, 2010 and Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnaire SDQ (Goodman, 1997 )
• 5) Quality of Caregiving Environment (HOME Cadwel & Bradley, 1984)
• 6) Caregiver’s relevant information:
• a. Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins, 1996)
• b. COPE Inventory (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989)
• c. Motivation Foster Parent Inventory (Yates, Lekies, Stockdale & Jasper, 1997)
• d. Focus Groups
Data collected in Chile.

5. Results (Institutional Care)
• Length-number of placements (23 months, 41% one or more prev.)
• End of Placements (23% family, 11% adoption, 10% referral)
• Staff (No qualification, wide differences between institutions. Stability:
mean of 5 years but some with long time in each institution.)
• Ratios (8.5 children per adult. 8.5 adults a week per child. Big variability
between institutions.)
• Siblings and visits (44% lived with siblings, 50% of them shared rooms. 29%
had siblings in other institutions. 80% visited by biology family)
• Support Available (100% of Homes had a stable Psychologist)
• Attachment
• Beliefs (knowledge and awareness as general trend)
• Practices (17.6 % key person, 69% encourage involvement, 58.8% “consider” topic)

6. Results (Carers)
• COPE (Coping Strategies)
• Motivation Inventory
• AARS (Adult Attachment Style)
• Beliefs about Attachment
• Focus Groups (Thematic Analysis of their experience of being
a Carer and their relationship with the children)

7. POSITIVE
EXPERIENCE
•Like work with children
•Positive Team
•Psychologists support
•Rewarding
EMOTIONAL
INVOLVEMENT
•Affectional Bonds
•Engagement
•Differential Bond
•Give Love
•Like Second Home
•Loss
DIFFICULTIES/TENSIONS
•System Level (Visits, end of
placement, ratios, information)
•Relationship Level (Children’s
families, children, Professionals-
Managers, family/work)
Initial
Negative

8. Conclusions
• Potential Positive Factors in institutional care. Can be different to
other countries. Policies must be based in local studies.
• Factors in Carers that are positive.
• Factors in Institutional Care that need to be addressed.
• Limitations of this study (relatively small sample, voluntary
participation).
• Further Steps in this study (Children’s data. Foster Families data).