Dialogical pedagogical gatherings on optimal educational proximity in a general foster care setting

Residential foster care represents a valuable resource for girls, boys, and adolescents (GBA) exposed to situations of risk and neglect. The educational professionals in these residences require the establishment of meaningful relationships, emotional bonds, and resilience with GBA. In other words, they must provide good treatment while exercising positive and authoritative educational leadership. This paper delves into the perception and reflection of socio-educational professionals in a General Foster Care Residence regarding the construct of optimal educational proximity. The methodology involves participant observation of a proposed action through three dialogical pedagogical gatherings conducted with a group of ten educational professionals with over a year of experience in the center under study. Among the intervention results, the significance of ideology, emotional bonding, and institutional culture emerges as relevant factors in optimal educational proximity. It is concluded that educational professionals value reflection on this construct as a relevant aspect for educational action, benefiting the care of GBA. They believe it is a stable concept concerning ideological positioning, both of educational professionals and the institution and its culture, but much more dynamic when related to the context and the psycho-emotional strength experienced by these professionals. Dialogical pedagogical gatherings are demonstrated as an optimal educational approach for the training and reflection of professional figures in General Foster Care Residences.