Effective education for house parents

There is increasing pressure for professional standardization and measurements of competencies in the youth work field, bringing with it a distinct need for expanded models of educating workers in a variety of settings. There is limited literature related to the education of specific segments of this workforce, and of circumstances through which they construct experiential knowledge of their profession and put it into practice. This study investigates the functions, education, and training of one such position; that of House Parents---a type of youth work that blends foster parenting and short-term residential-care. Given the lack of research related to this particular position, it was necessary to obtain a detailed account of the day-to-day functions, and the contexts in which the work is performed.; An intrinsic case study is presented, describing in detail the work and learning of two House Parents. As result, thick description expressing what it means to be a House Parent in a specific setting is provided. The daily routines, skills needed, and general day-to-day operations are described in detail. While describing what the job entails and what proficiency is needed to effectively function, the study offers analysis of how House Parents learn those skills and put them into practice. Data was obtained from four principal sources during a twelve-week period: (a) Agency Documents, (b) Administrative Staff, (c) Youth in Care, and (d) House Parents.; As is common in case study research, multiple methods of acquiring data were used, including document review, participant-observation, focus group and one on one interviews, analysis of organizational documents, member-checks, and unscheduled, informal discussions. During the study I observed the House Parents interacting with a total of twelve youth residents, of whom I interviewed five. Additionally, there were interviews with two administrative staff, and the House Parents themselves. The data revealed six general functions of their work: Providing shelter and basic needs; emotional support; academic support; advocacy; role-modeling and; case management. Each function requires numerous skills, which are learned principally through: (a) experiential-learning and reflection, (b) supportive supervision and, (c) classroom instruction, which was described as a foundational knowledge-base.