title: Fair relationships and policies to support family day care educators' mental health: a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High quality child care is a population health investment that relies on the capacity of providers. The mental health and wellbeing of child care educators is fundamental to care quality and turnover, yet sector views on the relationship between working conditions and mental health and wellbeing are scarce. This paper examines child care educators' and sector key informants' perspectives on how working in family day care influences educator's mental health and wellbeing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with Australian family day care educators (n = 16) and key informants (n = 18) comprised of representatives from family day care schemes, government and other relevant organisations regarding the relationship between working conditions and educator mental health. Thematic analysis referenced the assumptions and concepts of critical inquiry and used social exchange theory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Educators and key informants reported that educators' mental health was affected by the quality of their relationships with government, family day care schemes, and the parents and children using their services. These social relationships created and contributed to working conditions that were believed to promote or diminish educators' mental health. High quality relationships featured fair exchanges of educator work for key resources of social support and respect; adequate income; professional services; and information. Crucially, how exchanges influenced educator wellbeing was largely contingent on government policies that reflect the values and inequities present in society.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Making policies and relationships between educators, government and family day care schemes fairer would contribute strongly to the protection and promotion of educator mental health and wellbeing, and in turn contribute to workforce stability and care quality.
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Level 5, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, Victoria 3010, Australia. lara.m.corr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corr
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: Anthony D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: LaMontagne
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D057191:Capacity Building; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002668:Child Rearing; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005178:Faculty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support