OPPORTUNITY for

children,

families and

professional teams

in foster care

and adoption

International PRIDE Trainer’s Conference Prague, September 5-7 2017.

Balkan peninsula...about the name, location and countries which are the part…the name…origin comes from Turkish... means wooden mountains – Balkan consists of 11 countries

What are the Balkan countries? 1. Albania 100% of territories

2. Bosnia& Herzegovina 100% territories

3. Bulgaria 100% territories

4. Greece 100% territories except islands

5. Macedonia 100% territories

6. Serbia 73% territories

7. Montenegro 100 % territories

8. and countries less then 50% of territories

9. Romania 9%, Croatia 45 % and Slovenia 25%

10. as well as

11. Turkey with the European part which is 5% of its territory

What is the common for the most of Balkan countries? Cultural heritage and mentality

newer history (after the Second World War these countries were leaded by communists Expect Turkey and Greece and orientation on collectively organized system of social care of vulnerable categories in society

How the Program PRIDE came to the Balkans?

PRIDE first came in Serbia

Why and How???

On 2002. Serbian foster care reform team still

intensively explored...how to improve old fashioned practice… and finally heard for one really effective amazing programe

PRIDE Program we heard about PRIDE from our

neighbor country - Hungary!!!

on that year we got, during the short visit to Hungary,

first brief introduction of PRIDE Program and we heard that organization

responsible for implementation of

PRIDE in Europe is O.K.S. from Netherlands

…and we started a search…

…and found through FICE Netherlands

person whose name was Mr. Rob van Pagee

• Rob van Pagee INTRODUCED PRIDE

first time in Serbia on 2003

The professional audience in foster

care quickly and fully agreed that PRIDE

has all necessary qualities to raise the

foster care system in Serbia, on a completely

different, safe and long-lasting level

• Project named “Reform of foster care in Serbia” lasted in period from 2007 to 2009 and more than 60 professionals in foster care field in Serbia were trained. • Rob van Pagee was the trainer and he trained first group of PRIDE Trainers during the 2007, as well as group of PRIDE MASTER trainers during the 2008

and... in the same time information about the PRIDE program and its significance and usefulness spread in neighborhood...in Balkan countries...and beyond

How je the PRIDE linked nations in Balkan (and many

more)

PRIDE PHILOSOPHY connected them, because the fact that it fits with new goals, principles and

standards which POST communistic countries develop… family environment for children, focus on pre service training and mutual assessment, continuous learning, family strengths, respect of children identity: past, family of origin, culture… and TEAM WORK

Exactly PRIDE

made possible, through the implementation of the program, to set the framework and build the standards for quality related to care of children and young people who grow up in foster (or need adoptive) families.

PRIDE PROGRAM showed to all of who used it

how FOSTER CARE PROCESS based on PRIDE values can:

Help to use own life experience as tool to

understanding needs of children and families

Help to use own life traumatic experience to

develop foster parent skills

Help to develop parental competences as

a basic power of foster care and adoption

Help to understand influence of traumatic experiences

to foster care process and nurturing the children

Regain the importance of family strengths in process of foster care

And more… which is revealed step by step,

during the implementation process of

PRIDE Program

…and BALKAN STREAM OF PRIDE PROGRAM implementation, went with following dynamics:

• Serbia 2007-2009 • Bulgaria 2011-2013 • Czech Republic 2013-2015 NO Balkan country, but?

• Macedonia 2014-2016 • Bosnia&Hercegovina 2017- • 6.Montenegro is somewhere in the application process

Who is the next?

What Program PRIDE brought to:

Children?

Families?

Professionals in the field of foster care?

Systems of social protection?

Nations?

in Balkan

Program PRIDE brings to CHILDREN: Safe place to live Meeting their developmental needs Contact and relation with the family of origin Connecting and nurturing life-long and lasting relationships Preserving cultural identity and family history THE RIGHT TO A FAMILY LIFE ... and continuous, step by step, work on overcoming and integrating the trauma’s caused by interruption of life in the family of origin and other consequences related to it ...

Program PRIDE brings to FAMILIES To Families of origin: Preserving family relationships with the child / children and connection with parental role Dedicated care / partnership in parenting Possibility of family reunification To Foster families Knowledge and skills developed through four levels of application Self-assessment for the foster care and making an informed decision Partnership with other foster care actors Feeling of PRIDE

Program PRIDE brings to PROFESSIONALS IN FOSTER CARE: Knowledge and skills in: Organizing services (agencies, offices) for foster care / adoption Recruitment and selection (foster / adoptive) families Preparing and evaluating foster care / adoption candidates Coaching skills in foster care Advisory skills during the foster care process Skills and knowledge related to the using "PRIDE resources“ (PRIDE treasure) PRE-service, IN-service and advanced PRIDE materials

Program PRIDE brings to SYSTEMS of SOCIAL CARE MODEL (based on examples of good practice) for creating a system of alternative care for children in need Steps in the development of foster care Modalities for recruitment, training, assessment, monitoring of results and evaluation of the children care system Respect for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular the child's right to life in the family

Program PRIDE brings to NATIONS where it is implemented Comprehensive, applicable and quality based program for taking care of the vulnerable category of children and young people IN SOCIETY Civil society development and awareness of the significance of the role of foster parents Respect for your citizens

PRIDE program Was created as an result of the efforts of nations to provide to children safe childhood and conditions for optimal growth and development, As well as respecting the right to live in the family environment ... and its MISSION to be transferred from culture to culture, from nation to nation and from person to person, became the moving power of all PRIDE trainers, as a result of good practice in many countries all over the world

• For Balkan countries and for children, families and for professionals who are involved in foster care process PRIDE program is

MOVING POWER AND LONG-TERM

IMPACT ON CHANGES IN THE DIRECTION

to better Quality of Care for

Children IN THE SOCIETY!

All professionals who are trained to apply PRIDE PROGRAM IN Balkan countries claim that this is their best and most effective professional experience.

It makes us PROUD THANK YOU CWLA THANK YOU OKS THANK YOY CZECH ASSOCIATION OF PRIDE TRAINERS

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! Željka Burgund, PRIDE trainer Serbia