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“Everything has improved because now I live like a normal girl, not like a girl,” said one girl.
These results were obtained after the evaluation of the first stage of the Institutional Care Reform: 205 children who lived in community orphanages for at least half a year were interviewed and 30 social workers were interviewed to form the conclusions of the study. The children’s quality of life was also assessed by asking them to answer questionnaires, and the opinion of 30 assessors who conducted the study was used to observe the children in their usual living environment.
All survey data was collected in 2019. November 16 – 2020 January 10 period. The study was carried out by the economic research and public policy firm BGI Consulting together with its partner Contextus.
Transformation in a nutshell: what is it?
Lithuania is gradually reducing the number of children in foster care and leaving large orphanages.
In particular, efforts are being made to limit access to care for children through the development of services, strengthening work with families in crisis or difficult situations. If the child still loses parental care, an attempt is made to enlist the help of relatives and guardians.
Meanwhile, large nursing homes are being transformed into small family-type homes where children can live more comfortably and familiarly.
Community care homes typically house up to 8 children and are cared for by social workers and other professionals. When there are fewer children, a favorable environment is created for bonding among children themselves and between children and adults, and there is an opportunity for individual family communication.
What do the children themselves say about living in a community house?
Of the 205 children surveyed, 190 (93 percent) said they like living in community care homes. Children say community care homes are welcoming, reminiscent of a home rather than an institution. According to the researchers, children most frequently described their feelings after living in a community care home as follows: “Here as a family we do everything together”, “Well, like at home”, “Like, it’s more calm down and eat here “,” Somehow I feel safer “,” Here each child holds everyone, like a fist “,” I like everything here “.
Responding that they did not like community orphanages, the children complained too far from friends and the city, mentioned that other children were being abused, they felt like parents and everything was boring.
THREE GOOD THINGS. When asked to list three good things, the children first mention that there is less noise, more quiet, and that they can eat whatever they want, even ice cream. Children often say that food is tastier, it is important that children can decide for themselves when and what to eat, older children cook for themselves.
Another important positive is the comfort and familiarity of the new home. Children often report that community orphanages are more comfortable, living conditions are good: “I feel at home”, “I have my own room”, “I can sleep more”, “More quiet, more time for myself and my friends”.
Often children are happy that educators are good, caring, pay more attention, children get along better with them, can talk. Relationships are often described as good: “Everyone is kind, warm”, “There is more communication between them”, “More mutual trust”, “Here as a family”, “We live together as a family”.
As an advantage, many children claim that they live with a sister or brother. Another important factor in satisfaction with life in community homes is that there is more freedom and independence here. Children say: “I can go out here at any time”, “I can bike around town”, “We can go out more often”, “play soccer”, “do everything ourselves”, “we can learn more”, “There is pocket money”, “We can buy”, “We follow our own rules”.
Several wards point to an improvement in their well-being as an important good that happened when they moved into a community house: “I feel better”, “I don’t stop anymore”, “Less internal tension”, “I opened up more”, “I felt that I could live and have a place to return to. ” . Among the good things that happened after the move, the children mentioned factors related to the community environment: “Closer to school”, “I like school”, “I made new friends”, “There are all kinds of celebrations in which we participate “,” Good neighbors “.
THREE BAD THINGS. When the researchers asked about the three bad things that came up with the relocation, the children most often answered, “Nothing,” “None.” These responses are typical of half of the respondents.
Children who present specific complaints often mention changes in routine and the loss of favorite activities: “Here you have to work more yourself”, “Beyond school”, “Lack of space”, “There is nothing to do” .
Some children mention that after moving they lost the opportunity to do their favorite things: “Less opportunities to play sports”, “No gym, piano”. The second major reason for frustration is loss of friends and troubled relationships with educators and other children.
5 out of 205 children talk about bullying and abuse. Unmarried children cite domestic discomfort such as a cold, wet, long-distance journey as a source of dissatisfaction.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADULTS. Significantly, of the 205 children surveyed, the majority (89%) are linked to at least one adult, either inside or outside the community care home. 16 percent of children are attached to an adult brother or sister, 13 percent. – to parents, 5 percent. – to other relatives, 9 percent. – to tutors, godmothers or similar, and 46 percent. – Community care home staff.
The children themselves say that their relationship with social workers has greatly improved, improved, or improved more quickly when they moved to community orphanages. They are my 150 children of 199; This question was asked in the questionnaire only to school-age children, so the general sample is smaller. Another 39 children thought that the relationship had not changed and that 10 children had deteriorated, deteriorated or deteriorated much more rapidly.
It is obvious from the children’s arguments that more means of communication and bonding have appeared in community care homes.
Children say: “It has improved. More kindness. We communicate more closely”, “We talk a lot, we talk. Make food. It helps to prepare the lessons”, “Now I agree better because here there are fewer children, I get more attention from the staff ”.
“I did not interact or read with them while I was living (in an institutional residence). In short, in fact, I had very little communication, I didn’t reveal myself, that’s why I didn’t even care about them at all. The most important thing is to get up, get ready, eat and go out. Come back the next night or something. And here, all employees care how you are doing, how your day went, what mood you are in. You realize when you feel bad, ”says a child.
According to the researchers, the children’s relationship with social workers has improved primarily due to the fact that each child in a group home has the opportunity to receive more personal attention, nurturing, and a more personal conversation.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS. 96 percent. children have a best friend or girlfriend: usually friends from school, siblings, or other children in the same community care home.
When asked how relationships with other children have changed since they moved from their previous place of residence to community care, 132 of 199 children said that their relationships with their peers had improved a lot, improved or improved faster, 50 said that they had not changed, and 17 said relationships with other children worsened more rapidly, worsened, or worsened much.
Relationships between children living together have improved mainly due to the fact that fewer children live in community orphanages and the relationship with other children becomes closer. Another important reason is that children in group care homes often live with a sister or brother, so relationships in the immediate environment are considered better.
The deterioration of relationships was explained by children as disagreements between children, with fights or bullying, and at different ages, when older children are not interested in communicating with younger children, or vice versa.
Relationships with friends who moved out of the nursing home also changed – some former friends moved out and made new friends. Most children find friends in a new school, clubs, playground.
Community care homes, unlike large institutions, encourage friends to stay: friends of foster children are allowed to stay overnight, ‘slumber parties’ are held, and they are also allowed to hang out. the night with friends if your parents agree. It is true that social workers have reported cases where parents of children’s friends do not allow their children to communicate with wards and refuse to accept them at home due to negative attitudes.
What do social workers notice about children?
Social workers caring for children in community care homes also notice positive changes in children’s lives. One of the most important things for children, according to them, is the feeling of home, responsibility for them, as well as the simple fact that there is no “care home” for them. Children do not want to separate because they are afraid of bullying at school, among friends.
A social worker says that the children “call the community houses home and feel that their home is here – they store and take care of things, furniture, they don’t break (which they didn’t do in institutional care homes), they don’t say they are“ shelters ” .
“In the domestic sense, conditions have not changed much, only to the extent that the well-being of children has changed. There were no signs of nursing homes. The main point is that the children live in their own home, not in an institution, ”says another interviewed social worker.
Another social worker emphasized comfort, freedom and independence: “I appreciate it. There are two rooms in the room (previously eight each). You have your own space, you can dress as you like. You can lie down in the bathroom all you want. You can eat at any time. From the age of sixteen, they themselves go to see the doctors. “
According to one employee, a man used to call an institutional institution “base” and a community residence “home.”
Employees also note that moving children to community care homes has had a positive effect on relationships with members of the birth family, the innovation has piqued the interest of parents, if any, and they have begun to visit children more often, but the wave of parental visits has slowed. It is clear that visits depend more on distance: the closer the community orphanage is to the parents’ home, the more frequent the visit and vice versa.
Most of the children interviewed attend general education school, but not all have sufficient motivation to study. According to social workers, about 57 percent. children are motivated to learn well, unfortunately other children lack motivation. About one-tenth of children are bullied at school because of their social status and the label of a foster student. Children themselves rarely mention that teachers block them. According to researchers, bullying at school can be a reason for not attending school in some cases. According to the data provided, out of 199 school-age children, 31 children do not attend school regularly, but 167 children attend school well and one child did not answer the question.
According to social workers, children who have moved to community care homes have become more independent and orderly, and they themselves tend to buy food, cook, wash clothes and do other household chores. Only two of all the social workers surveyed complained about the children’s lack of motivation to do housework because everything was done for them in institutional care homes, all the others mentioned a significantly better situation.
According to employees, the children’s self-control and emotion management skills also changed: 74 percent. cases, improved, 5 percent. – deteriorated by 21%. the cases have not changed. This is associated with a calmer and psychologically safer environment, with greater self-confidence of children. Still, social workers believe that children need more psychological help to build self-esteem and self-confidence, and this service is not widely available at school or other institutions. Some children also need help preparing lessons, but in some cases the staff do not have the means to help absolutely all the children.
How do you reach an agreement with the community?
Although society’s attitudes towards foster children are, according to social workers, infused with pity or guilt, relations with neighbors seem to be heading in a positive direction. Three-quarters of the children cite the attitudes of the neighbors as being very friendly, friendly, or rather friendly.
Of course, children also talk about difficulties that arise. For example, children do not like their neighbors to “explain” them too much, sometimes there is disagreement about the sound of the music they hear, the noise that is made, but in general, children in community care homes feel accepted.
The situation is evaluated in a similar way by social workers. According to them, the caution of the neighbors was felt at first in some places, but then the attitude became much more positive: “At first, the neighbors were hostile. Now they are benevolent “,” At first there are suspicious looks, they do not know what it is. The adaptation took about 6 months, but now everything is fine ”,“ At first I had to face the negative attitude of the public towards the children before they interacted with the children and saw that they were good and polite ”.
What is there to improve?
The transformation process itself is viewed positively by the majority of social workers surveyed who work with children in community care homes. According to them, when fewer children live together, it is easier to make a connection, children’s behavior, language, children began to treat each other as members of the family and began to protect the living environment.
“I appreciate the transition from institutional care to community care. Although I was initially opposed and did not want such a change, now I realize its benefits. Now communication between children and employees is completely different. Not to mention the convenience of the The house itself. The children became more independent and responsible. Now they take more care and take care of each other more. You know, I used to go to work and now I go to my other house, “said a social worker.
However, by working directly with children, the daily encounter with problems also shows what could be improved. For example, social workers propose to reduce the number of children in a community care home from 8 to 6, employ at least two people during the day, attract more men who can be an example for children, remove sugar restrictions and fats in children’s diets, community care after car, scrap papers, various inspections.
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