For a long time, it was thought that if it was difficult to place a child with a foster family, placing him in a small group home was a suitable alternative. Group homes were seen as imitating families and where therefore expected to have a similar beneficial effect.
Over the past couple of years, experts have come back from this position, because there is too much evidence pointing in the opposite direction.
Continue reading “Rethinking Group Homes”After looking at why it is important to continue to provide support of young adults who were in alternative care on their 18th birthday (HERE) two weeks ago. And looking at the kind of aftercare needed by young adults who grew up in institutions (HERE) last week. This week we are going to have a look at the options for young adults who grew up in foster care.
Continue reading “Supporting Young Adults After Foster Care”In last week’s blog, I described how the transition of being cared for as a child to living independently as an adult should happen gradually for young adults, in order to be successful. I also mentioned that unfortunately support for care leavers is often still lacking and young adults are left to fend for themselves once they reach the age of 18.
This week I want to talk about how to support young adults who have grown up in an institution, once they venture out into the world.
Continue reading “Supporting Young Adults After Institutionalisation”When alternative care is discussed or arranged – no matter whether it is family-based or institutional – in many cases thoughts only reach as far as the child’s 18th birthday. At that point the child is no longer a child, she has become an adult. And so, the obligation to provide care, whether under the law or under Child Rights, disappears into a puff of smoke.
In far too many cases and countries care provisions and support end on that very day. The child is waved off at the door of the institution, or made to move out of her foster family, and is expected to take care of herself now.
Continue reading “Support Can’t End at Age 18”When it comes to most of the ‘International Day of….’ and ‘World …. Day’s, they have been instated to raise awareness and are quite effective at that, meaning that over the years they come to seem less and less relevant, after all most people are aware. With World Refugee Day the opposite appears to be the case. More people than ever appear to be aware of the existence of refugees, yet at the same time fewer people than ever appear to have real awareness of what they are talking about.
Continue reading “World Refugee Day”Albinism – being ‘an albino’ – is a condition where a person’s body does not produce any pigmentation. This leads to white hair, a very pale (or pink, because you can see the blood vessels through it) skin and eyes that are blue, but in such a pale way that the redness of the back of the eye shines through it.
Pigmentation is important to protect the skin and the eyes from UV radiation. Without this protection a person is far more likely to develop skin cancer. The eyes have very low tolerance for bright light and may have other problems with vision. This in itself deserves awareness raising. However, unfortunately there are greater problems attached to Albinism in certain parts of the world.
Continue reading “International Albinism Awareness Day”Innocent child victims of aggression, unfortunately there are so many, subjected to so many different forms of aggression. And mentioning their innocence is almost superfluous… almost… if only it was not forgotten so often.
Continue reading “International Day of Innocent Child Victims of Aggression”Tomorrow is the Global Day of Parents, a group of people who have probably the most important responsibilities imaginable, and who are least appreciated of all. Generally speaking, parents are loaded with blame if anything goes wrong, whether or not they had any influence over the situation, while little is heard when things go right.
Continue reading “Global Day of Parents”Today I am starting a six-week online course called Caring for Children Moving Alone: Protecting Unaccompanied and Separated Children, organised by Strathclyde University. The reason for taking this course, is that in order to help vulnerable children and to find suitable family-based solutions, it is essential to be aware of the needs of the children. Children from different backgrounds, in different situations, have different needs that need to be met to make sure that they are safe and that they are able to develop well and thrive.
Continue reading “Exchanging Knowledge, Questions and Experiences”Today is the International Day of Families, an important day to celebrate. Families are at the centre of everything Why Family-Based Solutions stands for. It is in families that children are almost always provided with the various conditions they need for proper brain development, proper psychological development, proper growth and proper health, conditions that are missing in institutions. In families this happens as a matter of course, without any conscious thought put into it.
Continue reading “International Day of Families”