We train and support carers, foster parents and social workers, so the children they open their homes and hearts to are provided the supportive relationships and environment they need to flourish. Here we show the difference we can make when carers have expert advice and support for stronger families.
597
Foster parents and carers gained skills in therapeutic care by completing our Providing a Secure Base training course
128
Children and foster parents had therapy, fun and learning at our four-day Family Camp
7
therapist-led support groups for 65 foster parents in Lviv, Zakarpattya, Dnipro, Vinnytsya, Sumy and Ivano-Frankivsk regions
Training can strengthen family forms of care in Ukraine, where too many children are still growing up in institutions. With expert advice and support we equip carers to deal with the challenges of caring for children who have experienced trauma.
To support training on a national level we developed a curriculum for the therapeutic care model Providing a Secure Base, by working with the University of East Anglia in the UK and the International Leadership Development Centre in Ukraine. 17 trainers are equipped to give ongoing training in 14 regions of Ukraine. (Find out more)
Oksana, a foster mother, tells us how getting the right advice made all the difference when her fostered daughter was running away from home:
“I was in despair as there was no one qualified to help me in our small town. Care in Action helped with free regular consultations for us and our daughter with qualified psychologists which were so needed. The specialists could explain why a child behaves that way and how parents can help. With their support and understanding I could improve my daughter’s difficult behaviour. She stopped running away from home, began to trust us, and the whole atmosphere in the family has improved.”
Another platform where we share expert advice on a national level is our highly acclaimed Parenting in Action journal, with 6,000 copies distributed each year.
“The 3rd publication of the “Parenting in Action” journal, contains clear and well-grounded articles: the theoretical aspects are supported by the authors sharing their own professional experience and practical advice for carers. The tips in the journal are useful not only for parents, but also for professionals in foster care, helping to understand the behavior of children of all ages, their problems and the best way to organise their work with children.” O. Kovalenko - Head of the Kirovohrad Regional Center of Social Services for Family, Children and Youth
With annual family camps, weekly support groups, and personal interactions, we give foster families the support they need. This means more children can grow up with the security of healthy family relationships.
“Thanks to your meetings, workshops, family camps and the support of your project coordinators many orphans are able to change their lives and have the opportunity to grow up to be a successful adult. Thank you very much for your care, inspiration and the ongoing support you provide to us foster parents.”
Katerina, a foster mother to ten children from the age of 8 to 22, shared an example of how training and support has helped to keep their family together:
“I had problems with my foster son Stepan, we always had conflicts. After the training I began to analyse myself, my actions and Stepan’s behaviour, and began to change my attitudes. With understanding and calm we found a solution. Now I'm glad that Stepan stayed in our family.”
Care in Action is proud to host 128 parents and children in two annual four-day Family Camps, an English Camp for 75 children and carers, and our annual Talents in Action festival. Our staff, consultant psychologist and volunteers go the extra mile to make our events educational and to give foster parents and their children many happy memories together.
“What I valued most in the Family Camp is its family atmosphere, love and support. Your support is a big blessing for me and my family and an example of how to strengthen families who have foster children which is so needed. Your professional team and volunteers have given 100% and we appreciate their approach, preparation and communication. We see how our children have become more open and independent, and we parents are inspired by new knowledge and a great rest. Thank you so much, Care in Action!” – Maria Skutar, Family Style Orphanage mother
If you would like to help foster families in Ukraine please contact us to find out more. There’s a lot more we can do together!
You can sponsor a child in Ukraine or Malawi and change their life for the better with a monthly donation of €30. In this time of crisis more children need the security of regular sponsorship to support their education and meet their basic needs.
