During the Immersive Simulation Lab: Family-Based Care Conference in February, one of the participants made an interesting remark, one that I feel is worth looking into more closely. He was a representative of a major NGO and said that when families were offered support in order to make family reintegration possible, there should be a time limit on the support offered.
Continue reading “Should There Be a Time-Limit on Family Support?”Author: Florence
I am the founder of and consultant at Family-Based Solutions. I have started this website and this community, and I am the moderator. I have been involved in alternative care since 2007, having been involved up close in China, Brazil, India, Kenya and Myanmar.
Initially I ran another NGO dedicated to improving the chance of survival and the quality of life of children in institutions, over time getting more and more involved with family-based alternatives and community services. In 2018 I folded the previous NGO and founded Family-Based Solutions. You can find more information on what I do now on the other pages of this website.
Medical Prejudice on HIV
The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS is still strong in most parts of the world, and this can have a greater debilitation effect on people who are HIV positive than their medical condition does. In a general way, I already touched on this in the blog that I wrote for World AIDS Day last December (you can find it HERE). Today I want to shine a spotlight on the way people with HIV are still discriminated against even by medical doctors, who really should know better.
Continue reading “Medical Prejudice on HIV”The Stress of Institutionalised Children
While doing research for a book I am currently writing, I have gradually gotten a more and more in-depth understanding of the effects of institutionalisation on children. I have long been aware of the results, but I now have more detailed insight into the underlying mechanisms that lead to those results. It is interesting and useful to gain this increase in theoretical knowledge. However, it did not quite prepare me for the impact of seeing the proof in real life, when I did a little experiment while I was in India recently. I would like to share this with you.
Continue reading “The Stress of Institutionalised Children”Dedicated Staff for Deinstitutionalisation
At its core, deinstitutionalisation is a temporary state. It is the transition between running a residential childcare institution and running a family-based alternative care system. While the transition can take up several years depending on the circumstances, it will end. The temporary nature of the deinstitutionalisation process can lead to people underestimating how important and how complicated it is. This, in turn, can lead to a reluctance to really invest in it. However, not mobilising the resources needed to make the process go smoothly is a big mistake and one that can come at both a high human and financial cost.
Continue reading “Dedicated Staff for Deinstitutionalisation”Harm Caused by Institutionalisation- Short Version
When I was helping to put the written material together for the Immersive Simulation Lab: Family-Based Care Conference last month, writing parts for the conference pack, for press releases and so on, I was asked to give a very short version of how institutional care is harmful to children. This was followed with the reassurance that I could just copy something from my website or blogs. It sounded like good advice, except that when I started to look for a few paragraphs to borrow, I discovered that I have not written a blog-size version of the general overview yet. So I guess it is high time to change that. Here is my attempt:
Continue reading “Harm Caused by Institutionalisation- Short Version”Practical Model for Implementing UN Guidelines
In February, I announced that I was developing a Theory of Change model to given an overview of the practical stages involved in implementing the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care for Children. This is applicable both for places wanting to move from institutional to family-based care or for those who are just trying to set up family-based care and family strengthening. Today I would like to present the model I came up with.
Continue reading “Practical Model for Implementing UN Guidelines”Secondary Corona Danger to ‘Orphans’
On Monday, I posted a blog explaining how the Coronavirus is much more dangerous to institutionalised children than to other children, because of their weakened immune system (you can read the blog HERE). Since then I have been struck by another threat that faces a portion of institutionalised children because of Coronavirus, and I want to share that with you.
Continue reading “Secondary Corona Danger to ‘Orphans’”Corona Virus and Institutionalised Children
News about the Coronavirus, or Covid-19, has been hard to escape for the past couple of months. A lot of people are very worried and various media and industries seem to be whipping up the worry into a panic. It can be hard to keep a level head and to know how to take necessary, sensible precautions, without losing yourself in panic. What can also be hard, is to be aware of what the various groups at greatest risk are. Until you are reminded of it inescapably, as I was while I was in India.
Continue reading “Corona Virus and Institutionalised Children”Q&A Video on Deinstitutionalisation
During the Immersive Simulation Lab: Family-Based Care Conference in Pune, on 27 February, I was asked to explain some aspects of the process of moving from institutional care to family-based care, and I did a short Q&A session. Today, instead of a blog, I would like to share the video of that part of the conference with you.
Continue reading “Q&A Video on Deinstitutionalisation”Home from India
This weekend I returned home from just over three weeks in India. As I predicted, in the blog on 17 February, it has been an extremely busy time, but very worthwhile. It has been a question of working straight through, long days of providing training, strategy and exploration meetings, preparing for the conference and holding it, and days of observation and on-the-job training.
Continue reading “Home from India”