Part 4 of the explanation with the ToC: Gathering data, in a variety of ways and on a variety of topics, is an essential part of the process. Information on the current situation is the foundation of all decisions, strategies and actions that will be made. Without knowing what is and is not currently present, and the background of why that is so, there is no way of determining what needs to happen and what needs to be put in place.
Continue reading “Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Data Gathering & Analysis 1”Category: Awareness
Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Planning
Part 3 of the explanation of the ToC: The first job of the transition manager or the transition team will be to create an overview of what the transition process will entail – something like this model, but with more details relevant to the local situation -, what resources will be needed to take care of at different stages, who will be responsible for taking care of various tasks and a rough timeline on how all of this will fit together. From that overview, a strategy and a plan can be devised.
Continue reading “Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Planning”Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Goal and Start
Part 2 of the explanation of the ToC model: The overall goal of this model is the full implementation of the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care for Children. Reaching this goal means that the two underlying principles of these Guidelines are adhered to throughout all systems of child protection and alternative care. These two principles are the Necessity Principle and the Suitability Principle. The Necessity Principle refers to making sure that children grow up in their own family unless it is impossible or not in their best interest for that to happen. In effect, this covers the prevention of family-separation and motivation for making every attempt towards family reintegration, in cases where separation has already taken place.
Continue reading “Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Goal and Start”Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Introduction
On 30 March, I shared the Theory of Change model to achieve full implementation of the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care for Children with you (HERE). As I mentioned then, I currently do not have the funds to publish this model with its explanation. The fundraiser on GoFundMe to bring together these funds needed has not been terribly successful to date. And yet I do want to make the explanation that goes with the model available to people. So, I have decided to cut the explanation up into pieces and to share it (in a slightly abbreviated version) with you in blogs over the coming weeks. It will cover many topics that have come past in the blogs so far but in a more structured way. Today, the introduction to the explanation of the model:
Continue reading “Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Introduction”Should There Be a Time-Limit on Family Support?
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?”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”