Increasing Capacity for Qartveli-Georgian Caregivers Supporting Children with

Histories of Abuse, Neglect, and Developmental Disabilities

Ana Barkaia, Nino Chkhaidze & Trevor Stokes

James Madison University

Children of Georgia

Three months training

Behavior management team

Tbilisi Infant House, Gldani Boarding School and day care centers in Kutaisi

Deinstitutionalization and social inclusion of children with special needs in 2007-

2008

Five trained specialists in Tbilisi Infant House

Functional, academic and social skills; and behavior challenges

Supervisions from previous CoG staff members trained in ABA

Tbilisi Infant House

Training by founders of CoG from New Zealand Dr. Barry Parsonson and Dr. JaneMary Castelfranc-Allen

Support of foster family services in Georgia

Interns from Tbilisi State University (including Nino) also involved in this training

Training in social inclusion of children for CoG staff in 2008

In August 2008 there was a war in Georgia

Need for psychological support was very high

Training in cognitive-behavior therapy for PTSD

One year project of CoG, working in PTSD symptoms of war-affected children and their families

Cognitive behavior therapy for PTSD in 2008

Trainings for caregivers on developing behavior management systems and individual plans for children in Tbilisi Infant House

CoG staff focused on helping caregivers implement developmental plans for children

Supervision for caregivers

Early intervention services in 2009

Training for foster families

Preparation for transitions of children

Home visits for families

Developing parenting skills

Supervising foster parent’s interaction with children

Family support services in 2009-2010

Individual casework

Autism cases

Counseling cases

Individual cases in CoG psychological helping center

Process of Deinstitutionalization

In 2011 process of closing the big institutions started in Georgia

Two types of residential environments were created for children - Small group homes and foster care services

Children of Georgia provided psychological support for children and their families in this process.

The project consisted of two stages:

1. Preparing children for transition and matching them with families

2. Providing psychological support for children and for their caregivers

Small group homes in 2011-2013

Social workers inexperienced in non institutional settings

Undesirable environment for children

Time spent for transition

Environmental demands

Difficulties

Professor from James Madison University, Dr. Trevor Stokes came to Georgia

Professional

developmental trainings and supervision for CoG staff

Learned about JMU graduate programs

COG staff at James Madison University

Remote consultations for CoG staff

Develop teleconference mechanisms

Connections between COG and JMU

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