[CARETAKERS OF CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV, THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-EFFICACY]

Worldwide, the number of children 15 years and under living with HIV has increased from 1.6 million in 2001 to 2 million in 2007. The care of these children is demanding. The challenges related to this care are even more when it is delivered in homes where not the workers have training in the area. The was conducted to understand the level of knowledge and self-efficacy related to HIV communication among the workers in a home for children and families living with HIV. A cross sectional, descriptive study was conducted. The average age of participants was 39.37(±11.97) years, close to 50% had low levels of general HIV knowledge and HIV prevention knowledge. In relation to self-efficacy, the majority (61.9%) did not feel confident speaking about this topic with the children. These results demonstrate the need for training for people working with children who live with HIV, both in terms of content and communication abilities and the need to generate a continuous training program that assures the delivery of quality care.