🧑‍🍼 Looking after ⏳ Temporary official 🏢 Temporary management

caretaking

4.3

Temporary management of an organization until a permanent leader is chosen

noun
/ˈkɛrˌteɪkɪŋ/

Formal

: administración interina

Examples

Over time, foster care in Quebec has evolved from a "caretaking" to a "professional" model in which social workers play a key role.

Academic text (2008)
During the caretaker's absence, the community relied on him for the caretaking of local facilities until a new manager was appointed.
The board appointed a temporary director to handle the caretaking of the organization's operations while they searched for a permanent replacement.
Her role in the caretaking of the charity ensured that all projects continued smoothly until a new executive director could be hired.

Synonyms

administration

vscaretaking

161 3.3

Managing and organizing the work of a government or organization

is temporary management until a permanent official is appointed

stewardship

vscaretaking

10 5.6

The job of looking after property or affairs for others

is temporary management until a permanent official is appointed

custodianship

vscaretaking

Formal

1 7.0

The job of looking after and managing things like property, records, or a building

is temporary management until a permanent official is appointed

How Temporary

acting

3 3.7

interim

113 5.0

caretaking

Formal

4.3

temporary

2 5.3

Surface Forms

caretaking singular

caretakings plural

Morphology

caretaking = caretake (opaque) = care + take + ing

Although the form contains 'care' and 'take', the institutional sense 'temporary management or administration' is a conventional specialized use rather than a fully predictable literal meaning.

Etymology

Caretaking comes from the parts care and taking, meaning 'to take care' or 'to look after'. That's why caretaking can mean the temporary running or management of a group or office until a permanent leader is found.