Interventions to promote child development in institutionalized children: a scoping review

To map the characteristics and results of interventions carried out with caregivers of institutionalized children to promote child development.

A scoping review, following JBI guidelines, was conducted in eight databases, gray literature, and reference lists of selected studies. The review question was: what are the characteristics and outcomes of interventions implemented with caregivers to promote child development in institutionalized children aged 0 to 6 years? Rayyan® software was used to select the studies. The analysis was descriptive.

Seventeen studies were included, reporting training-type interventions, whether or not associated with changes in the institution's work process and structural organization as well as training through the creation of a virtual learning environment. There were positive effects on child development, but the heterogeneity of interventions and results prevented us from identifying their most relevant aspects. The main content covered was responsive care.

The diversity of professional training models does not allow us to state which aspects are most relevant in the training of caregivers, requiring more robust studies on the subject.