Too often children who are placed in alternative care, or children who have been moved from an institution to a family – whether it be their own or a new one – are not provided with any counselling. This is a big problem and can even cause a ‘placement break-down’. Meaning it turns out not to be possible any longer for a child to stay in the family she was placed in – even if it was her own – because of emotional and behavioural problems.
Continue reading “The Need for Counselling”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.
Children Need to Have a Say
Children’s voices and opinions are left out of the decision-making process in alternative care far too often. Even when we are talking about decisions that have an enormous impact and will cause big changes in a child’s life. More often than not, children are not even asked for their opinion on what they think would be a good solution, or on what they do and do not want. And if a child courageously tries to make themselves heard, they are often silenced or drowned out.
Continue reading “Children Need to Have a Say”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/
Continue reading “The New Online Alternative Childcare Community”Busting Stigmas with Awareness
When you suggest that it might be possible to move towards family-based care by reuniting children with their families or by finding foster families for them, it is not uncommon to be told that this is not possible with ‘those’ children. Or sometimes, people will tell you that they have tried to convince families to take back their children or have tried to recruit foster families, and no one was willing. In a way, these nay-sayers are right, because it is not that easy, but it is possible.
Continue reading “Busting Stigmas with Awareness”The End of the Podcasts
In the previous blog (HERE), I described the changes that are in the works for Why Family-Based Solutions. These changes mostly consisted of new things that will be started in the coming weeks and months. In this blog, I would like to explain one more change.
Continue reading “The End of the Podcasts”Plans for Why Family-Based Solutions
In the previous blog, I described how, coming up to the 1-year-aniversary of the start of Why Family-Based Solutions, I have been putting a lot of thought into what I would like the organisation to be about and what I can and want to aim to achieve. In today’s blog, I would like to share some of the conclusions that I have drawn.
Continue reading “Plans for Why Family-Based Solutions”One Year On
About a year ago, the plan to start Why Family-Based Solutions was starting to unfold in my head. Though the website and the first blogs did not appear until later on in September, several weeks of thinking, planning and organising had already taken place by then.
As I was coming up to the point of living with Why Family-Based Solutions for a year, I have spent some time thinking again, this time about just what I want to accomplish with the organisation, what direction I want to take with it.
Continue reading “One Year On”World Tourism Day
World Tourism Day, dedicated to an industry that helps people expand their horizons, and brings much needed money to areas that might not have many other means of getting it. However, there is also a dark side to the tourism industry. It has caused much harm, despite never intending to. Voluntourism is a perfect example of this.
Continue reading “World Tourism Day”Podcast Child Trafficking
In this podcast, a look at the reality and outcome of the vulnerability to trafficking of children who grow up in institutions. Seeing the statistics is unpleasant, but finding out what happened to someone you know is a whole different story.
Please share this to help raise awareness.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:26 — 14.1MB)
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International Youth Day
In the context of alternative care and institutionalisation, it is important to take a moment to consider International Youth Day, and not just because a lot of teenagers are growing up in institutions. They are, and it is significant, and we will get to that, but there is more.
Continue reading “International Youth Day”