Stewards of Care: Exploring the Lived Experiences of the Houseparents in a Residential Care Facility

“Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters.”
Amy Leigh Mencree
Houseparents serve as a parental figure in residential care facilities. They take care of the needs of the clients they handle (Calarde et al., 2025). Being a houseparent is not an easy task since they are dealing with children in difficult circumstances, particularly in the street situation. It requires a lot of effort to deal with their challenging behaviors since these children are not taught how to value education, proper hygiene, health and spiritual needs. These behaviors are the result of living in the street most of the time wherein they have no access to the basic needs such as food, water, and clothing (Brenda et al, 2020). Thus, fostering care to these residents involves a great labor especially in building healthy relationship with them.
The role that is expected as a houseparent does not end in managing the daily routines of the residents in the center. They are also responsible for providing emotional support to help the children in their rehabilitation. The versatility of the houseparents’ role also requires them to take care of their own mental health, emotional resilience and work-life balance in order for them to provide quality care to the residents (Calarde et al 2025). Regular practice of self-care is necessary in this kind of job to prevent burnout and to improve their role performance.
This chapter provides an outline of the study by introducing its setting and contextual framework. It establishes the background of the research, articulates the statement of the problem, and outlines the purpose of the study. Furthermore, this chapter presents the theoretical perspectives that guides the inquiry, specifies the research questions, and highlights the significance and potential contributions of the study. To promote clarity and consistency throughout the thesis, key terms are also defined.

Stewards, Houseparents, Residential

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