Last week, in a discussion with global experts on alternative care and care reform, I became increasingly alarmed. The discussion was about the need to have clear definitions and standards to ensure that everyone knows what is meant and expected. I have no argument with that. However, the way the discussion went, implied that once definitions and standards would be agreed upon, this would provide not just a useful framework, but something like a formula or a clear step-by-step guide. With the further implication that if this formula or guide is followed this would automatically lead to good outcomes. That is what I have major issues with.
Continue reading “There Is No Failsafe Formula for Transition”Tag: #alternativecare
Training Manual for Case Workers
The training manual is now available! It is the twin to Understanding the Trauma of Institutionalised Children. To support the child you adopt, which I published in September last year. That was a book written for adoptive parents caring or planning to care for a child coming from an institution. The book gave information about how institutionalisation affects brain development and the stress response system, what the effects of that are and how parents can support the child to overcome challenging behaviour and developmental delays as much as possible. This information is not only applicable to children who are adopted from institutions. It applies to all children who are moved from institutions to families. That is why, even before the ‘adoption version’ came out, I had started work on adapting the same basic content to a different audience.
Continue reading “Training Manual for Case Workers”Looking Back on 2022
The end of 2022 has already arrived. It seems like this year passed particularly fast, somehow. There was certainly no chance of boredom this year. However, unlike the two previous years, it felt more like things were starting to move forward, rather than being held back and stuck in uncertainty.
Continue reading “Looking Back on 2022”Understanding the Trauma of Institutionalised Children
The moment has finally come! I started working on the first draft of this book late 2019. A combination of it just being a whole lot of work, having other work to take care of, and some pandemic related delays caused it to take almost three years in the end. But it is here now.
Continue reading “Understanding the Trauma of Institutionalised Children”The Fourth Year of Family-Based Solutions
And so another year has passed. It is hard to believe it is already four years since I started Family-Based Solutions (Why Family-Based Solutions then). So much has happened and so much keeps changing. While I have never found myself bored before, the past year has been a particularly busy one.
Continue reading “The Fourth Year of Family-Based Solutions”Good Addiction and Bad Addiction
As I gradually gained a more detailed understanding of the effects of institutionalisation on children and exactly how attachment works, I have started to realise that human beings are wired for addiction. It is part of our basic development and survival. When development happens the way it is supposed to, addiction is a great strength and support, it helps us survive. When it does not, it can become a major hurdle and can destroy us.
Continue reading “Good Addiction and Bad Addiction”Ensuring Help Does Not Harm Ukrainian Children
It has taken me a while to feel able to write a blog about the situation of children from Ukraine during the current war. Even though from the start I felt that I wanted to. The main problem, I think, was that there are just so many aspects to the problems that the children are facing, that it is hard to know where to start. A lot of organisations and individuals have jumped into action and are doing absolutely everything they can to keep Ukrainian children as safe as possible. Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, it feels a lot like trying to carry water in a sieve. However, with many of the basics being addressed, things are starting to crystalise a bit more for me.
Continue reading “Ensuring Help Does Not Harm Ukrainian Children”The Gap Between Policy and Implementation
When working on transition of care, it is always important to be aware of the legislative and policy framework that exists in the country in question. If there are no frameworks supporting family strengthening, family-based alternative care and prevention of unnecessary separation of children from their families, this is a major obstacle. However, the opposite also happens. In some countries, there are lots of great statements and frameworks in legislation and policy, but actual practical implementation is often slow or practically non-existent.
Continue reading “The Gap Between Policy and Implementation”UN Day of General Discussion: Children in Alternative Care
Last month, the UN Day of General Discussion took place. Usually, this happens every two years and it was due last year. However, with the pandemic, it got postponed to this year and was held virtually for the very first time. It had been organised by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and it had been long anticipated by people working in my field. It was considered the next step after the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.
Continue reading “UN Day of General Discussion: Children in Alternative Care”How to Get Better Data
There is an increasing understanding of the essential need for data on children in vulnerable situations, including children on the move, children in alternative care, children without parental care, and children in poverty. The call for adequate data on the number of children in these situations and the support that is or is not available to them is growing day by day, from a variety of large international organisations – such as UNICEF, Lumos, Eurochild, Hope and Homes for Children and SOS Children’s Villages – as well as from people in academia. The more people start to become interested in data on children in vulnerable situations and start looking around for them, the more obvious it is that there is a serious lack in this area.
Continue reading “How to Get Better Data”