The New Online Alternative Childcare Community

The moment has arrived. As I mentioned already before the summer and at the start of the month, part of Why Family-Based Solutions’ plan is to provide a platform where people who are involved in alternative care, in transformation of care and in child protection, from all over the world, can come together and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas. That platform is now available on this website: www.familybasedsolutions.org/community/

In the comment sections of a number of online courses on topics related to alternative care and child protection, which I took part in, I have always been struck by the vigorous exchange of experiences, questions and answers, and points of view. There always seems to be a real relish in the opportunity to have discussions and exchanges with people who work in the same field, in a different location and under different circumstances. I very much enjoy this too, and tend to spend more time in the comments than on the course. In part, I think this is because unless you do this work within a large organisation, it can be isolating at times.

For the duration of the course, a kind of community seems to form, but then, as soon as the course is finished, the community dissolves, because everyone is very busy and the reason for being there has gone. I have always felt something of a loss after this, although I have also been left with some valuable contacts, after every course.

This got me thinking, after a few courses, what if there could be such a community, such an exchange, without a course attached, without a natural point of dissolution. In turn, this led to the decision to try to create such a community myself. And here you can witness the starting point. Whether it blossoms into a community, will depend on the participants.

So who is this platform for? I would like to invite anyone who is involved in alternative care, in social work, in transformation of care/ deinstitutionalisation, in keeping children in families, and in child protection to join us. So go ahead and have a look, register and start posting your experiences, opinions and questions.

To start out, anyone is able to read what is on the forum, though you need to register to be able to post on it, this may change in time. For now, why don’t you have a look and consider taking part. I look forward to welcoming you to the Alternative Childcare Community.

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