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Pflegeeltern - Education for Foster Parents
Education for Foster Parents
- Pflegekinder im Kiez gGmbH (PIK)
- Tavistock Haringey Service (THS) for Looked After Children
- Pflegeelternverein Steiermark - Kinder- und Jugendförderung
- Documentation 1st meeting (Berlin, Dec. 2009)
- Documentation 2nd meeting (London, March 2010)
- Documentation 3rd meeting (Graz, June 2010)
- Documentation 4th meeting (Berlin, Oct 2010)
Education for Foster Parents - Objectives of the Partnership
There is currently only little information exchange between foster parents and no exchange on their training needs on an European level. It is anticipated that learning from good practise will be a key outcome of this partnership "Education for Foster Parents”. Initial discussions with agencies have highlighted that foster carers and staff encounter similar issues across borders although policies and societal contexts differ very much.
Learners and staff will have the opportunity to reflect their own practice and their values. They will also benefit from having a wider range of methods and interventions available to them, possibly leading to foster carers feeling more confident and agencies providing more effective, tailor-made training.
The partnership aims to improve training available to foster parents in three countries, enabling them to better meet the needs of foster children and foster carers. Learners (=foster parents and staff) will benefit from knowledge and information transfer as each partner organisation brings at least one specialised training programme to the partnership.
Specific attention will be given to
a) 'emergency' fostering (foster parents and child have not met previously)
b) children returning to their birth parents (support for foster parents and children) and
c) frequency and design of contact with birth parents, age of child in relation to this
Partner organisations/learners will start by comparing each others' training programmes and agreeing key questions in more detail. Then learners and staff will have the opportunity to observe trainings and discuss their experience in focus meetings. Electronic meeting summaries will be shared with all learners. It is anticipated that learners will benefit from finding out about other/new approaches to issues they face and that organisations will review their training programmes accordingly.
It is hoped that this will be the start of a Europe-wide knowledge and information exchange on training for foster carers, which currently does not exist.
Objectives of the partnership
Learners and staff will have the opportunity to reflect their own practice and their values. They will also benefit from having a wider range of methods and interventions available to them, possibly leading to foster carers feeling more confident and agencies providing more effective, tailor-made training.
The partnership aims to improve training available to foster parents in three countries, enabling them to better meet the needs of foster children and foster carers. Learners (=foster parents and staff) will benefit from knowledge and information transfer as each partner organisation brings at least one specialised training programme to the partnership.
Specific attention will be given to
a) 'emergency' fostering (foster parents and child have not met previously)
b) children returning to their birth parents (support for foster parents and children) and
c) frequency and design of contact with birth parents, age of child in relation to this
Partner organisations/learners will start by comparing each others' training programmes and agreeing key questions in more detail. Then learners and staff will have the opportunity to observe trainings and discuss their experience in focus meetings. Electronic meeting summaries will be shared with all learners. It is anticipated that learners will benefit from finding out about other/new approaches to issues they face and that organisations will review their training programmes accordingly.
It is hoped that this will be the start of a Europe-wide knowledge and information exchange on training for foster carers, which currently does not exist.
Objectives of the partnership
- Improved training is available to foster parents in the four participating countries
- Participating learners have increased knowledge and understanding of methods available to them
- Partners have increased awareness of underlying values guiding their work and efforts through exchange, discussion and reflection, specifically in relation to contact arrangements for children, birth parents and foster parents.
- Agencies review their training programmes to include results of the learning partnership
Partner’s Profiles
Pflegekinder im Kiez gGmbH (PIK)
This agency has extensive experience of supporting (prospective) foster parents and has developed a specialist training programme addressing the issue of how foster parents can best look after children in a crisis situation, where no previous contact between child and foster parent has been possible. The agency is based in Berlin Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain and Neukölln, a very diverse part of the city. Citizins here include a high proportion of immigrants (20% of the learners will be immigrants) and children with learning disabilities (>50%). Demand for placements outstrips supply and the extremly valuable contribution foster parents make to society is not fully recognised. Other problems in this particular area are child poverty and concerns about the very high proportion of immigrant children at local schools. Foster children are disadvantaged. They will will greatly benefit from strengthening foster parents and valueing their work as well as from improving training and knowledge exchange.
Pflegekinder im Kiez gGmbH
Dieffenbachstr. 56
10967 Berlin
GERMANY
Birgit Mallmann
++49/(0)306122735
kontakt(at)pflegekinder-im-kiez.de
Pflegekinder im Kiez gGmbH
Dieffenbachstr. 56
10967 Berlin
GERMANY
Birgit Mallmann
++49/(0)306122735
kontakt(at)pflegekinder-im-kiez.de
Tavistock Haringey Service (THS) for Looked After Children
The Tavistock Haringey Service for Looked After Children is commissioned by Haringey local authority for providing services to looked after children and to the unaccompanied minors (refugee children) Social Services Team. Services include direct work with the children, their carers and social workers. The service is part of the NHS (National Health Service).
Looked after children are some of the most disadvantaged children in society. Haringey is an inner city London borough with a highly ethnic diverse population, inequalities, poverty. It is also home to some of the most deprived wards of the country. Foster carers in this areas are often from ethnic minority groups and about 50% of the children have special needs such as learning disabilities. As elsewhere, demand for placements outstrips supply. Learners from this agency include mental health professionals and resentatives of foster cares.
The service's approach is based on the attachment framework with transitional therapy being a speciality. Therapy is offered to children although they are still in ongoing care proceedings, which usually means that they are excluded from therapy. Main focus is on minimalisation of placement disruption, making links with education and improving education attainment for children through working with schools and foster carers.
Looked after children are some of the most disadvantaged children in society. Haringey is an inner city London borough with a highly ethnic diverse population, inequalities, poverty. It is also home to some of the most deprived wards of the country. Foster carers in this areas are often from ethnic minority groups and about 50% of the children have special needs such as learning disabilities. As elsewhere, demand for placements outstrips supply. Learners from this agency include mental health professionals and resentatives of foster cares.
The service's approach is based on the attachment framework with transitional therapy being a speciality. Therapy is offered to children although they are still in ongoing care proceedings, which usually means that they are excluded from therapy. Main focus is on minimalisation of placement disruption, making links with education and improving education attainment for children through working with schools and foster carers.
Tavistock Haringey Service (THS) for Looked After Children
Centre for vocational guidance and counselling
120 Belsize Lane
NW3 5BA
UNITED KINGDOM
Dr. Thomas Hillen
++44/ (0)2089382225
thomashillen(at)yahoo.com
Centre for vocational guidance and counselling
120 Belsize Lane
NW3 5BA
UNITED KINGDOM
Dr. Thomas Hillen
++44/ (0)2089382225
thomashillen(at)yahoo.com
Pflegeelternverein Steiermark - Kinder- und Jugendförderung
This agency has more than 25 years of experience in training and supporting foster parents. From the onset support groups for foster parents have been established to offer peer support and have since been continously developed. To assist the groups the project has developed a special training for group workers, who help facilitate groups in order to maximise the peer support availble to foster carers.
To date 600 families have been trained in specialist courses.
The agency runs an emergency placement programme as well as designated placements for children who are hightly likely to return to their birth parents. Tailor-made training support this range of placement options, leading to professionalising of foster parents.
About half of the foster carers have not been able able to have own children or want additional children. Foster parents tend to have less than average levels of education with the highest qualification being a completed vocational training. Different to other participating agencies foster carers tend to live in rural settings. About 80% foster children professionally, as their main job.
The agency has noted that the group of foster children has changed over time, with a larger proportion deemed to be at risk and with more difficult histories with birth parents.
To date 600 families have been trained in specialist courses.
The agency runs an emergency placement programme as well as designated placements for children who are hightly likely to return to their birth parents. Tailor-made training support this range of placement options, leading to professionalising of foster parents.
About half of the foster carers have not been able able to have own children or want additional children. Foster parents tend to have less than average levels of education with the highest qualification being a completed vocational training. Different to other participating agencies foster carers tend to live in rural settings. About 80% foster children professionally, as their main job.
The agency has noted that the group of foster children has changed over time, with a larger proportion deemed to be at risk and with more difficult histories with birth parents.
Pflegeelternverein Steiermark - Kinder- und Jugendförderung
Kaiser-Franz- Josef Kai 2
8010 Graz
AUSTRIA
Dr. Friedrich Ebensperger
friedrich.ebensperger(at)pflegefamilie.at
Kaiser-Franz- Josef Kai 2
8010 Graz
AUSTRIA
Dr. Friedrich Ebensperger
friedrich.ebensperger(at)pflegefamilie.at
++43/ (0)316/829-633
Background information
GRUNDTVIG Learning Partnership
The GRUNDTVIG Learning Partnership "Education for Foster Parents” is part of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the EU.
The Grundtvig Learning Partnership is a framework for practical co-operation activities between organisations working in the field of adult learning in the broadest sense - formal, non-formal or informal. In a Grundtvig Learning Partnership trainers and learners from at least three participating countries work together on one or more topics of common interest to the co-operating organisations. This exchange of experiences, practices and methods contributes to an increased awareness of the varied European cultural, social and economic scene, and to a better understanding of areas of common interest in the area of adult learning.
The following activities may be supported:
The Grundtvig Learning Partnership is a framework for practical co-operation activities between organisations working in the field of adult learning in the broadest sense - formal, non-formal or informal. In a Grundtvig Learning Partnership trainers and learners from at least three participating countries work together on one or more topics of common interest to the co-operating organisations. This exchange of experiences, practices and methods contributes to an increased awareness of the varied European cultural, social and economic scene, and to a better understanding of areas of common interest in the area of adult learning.
The following activities may be supported:
- Partner meetings and seminars between all institutions involved in the Partnership
- Exchanges of staff and adult learners involved in project activities
- Exchanges of experience and good practice, by all appropriate means and in particular using information and communication technology (e.g. websites, e-mail, video-conferencing)
- Making of technical objects, drawings and arts objects related to the project
- Fieldwork, project research, etc.
- Preparation of performances (e.g. theatre plays, musicals, etc.)
- Linguistic preparation for persons involved in the Partnership to ensure they possess the necessary competence in the working language(s) of the partnership
- Co-operation with other projects in related subject areas (in particular Partnerships, projects and networks supported by Grundtvig) and sharing experience with other institutions in the region, etc., including mobility to relevant events organized by these
- Self-evaluation activities
- Organisation of exhibitions, production and dissemination of information material or documentation on the co-operation activities
- Dissemination of project experience and outcomes
For further information see http://www.na-bibb.de/lernpartnerschaften_343.html
Links and Ressources
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Redaktionell verantwortlich: Thomas Hirschle, LISUM
Weiterführende Links
- GRUNDTVIG: Praktisches Lernen für Erwachsene
(Site der Europäische Kommission) - GRUNDTVIG-Site auf dem bbb