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A new system of care
17 March 2010
Lumos supports the development of fostering in the Czech Republic
In connection with our pilot project in the Pardubice region, and a project developed by Amalthea, we supported and prepared a five day fostering training course in London on 1-5 March 2010. Amalthea is a small NGO funded by Sirius Foundation, a Czech organisation funding foster care.
The foster care training was carried out by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) who provided a programme tailored to the specific needs of the Czech Republic on its path to transformation. Representatives from Amalthea (who provide support and guidance to foster families on a long-term basis) and from the Psychological and Social Assistance Centre - Family and Marriage Counselling Office (who assist in preparing prospective foster parents and are involved in making decisions on the placement of children in foster care) joined Lumos colleagues from both the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Miloslav Macela, Pardubice’s County Councillor who is responsible for social services in the region, participated in the training and expressed his great support for the whole project. He pledged ongoing assistance in the development of foster care: “The training was very useful and practical. We gained important knowledge and skills that we will use in opening a new era of foster care in our region. We wish to make foster care a professional service for a wide range of families and children who are deprived of a chance to live in foster families under the existing circumstances. We believe that the new approach to fostering and a reconsideration and review of the whole preparatory process combined with sufficient support provided to foster families will result in an increased number of foster carers and a high quality care for children in need”.
On the first day of the training, the participants formed two groups: one group visited an independent fostering agency and the other group went to see a local authority of one of the London boroughs. Both groups then discussed the British fostering system which is based on a partnership between the public and private sector, the aim being the closest possible contact with foster families and children. The system is governed by uniform foster care standards. The program of the other training days was under the direction of BAAF professional trainers who provided the participants with a comprehensive outline of the fostering process, thus creating the ideal basis for the participants to think of specific steps to be taken in recruiting foster carers, in arranging for their preparation, in assessing them and in providing foster families with support and supervision.
We thank BAAF, not only for hosting the training session, but for sharing their resources and materials with us. We can incorporate the knowledge gained into both the Amalthea project and the pilot project in the Pardubice region.
By partnering with organisations such as BAAF and Amalthea we can continue to support the development of a new system of care in the Czech Republic, and assist in establishing best practice based on both Czech and international experience. This will enable children who are unable to live with their families to be placed in a safe foster home.
