Paper
Bringing safety and joy into a child’s life
- issue: Issue 2 / 2009
- authors: Liisa Heino, Päivi Salomaa
- keywords: relational skills, collaboration, Finland
- views: 3188
- downloaded: 0
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abstract
Background. The collaboration process between the Professional Foster Home Tammenterho and the Rehabilitation and Development Center Huvitus began at spring 2005. It started with the rehabilitation process which emphasises the resources, strenghts and interaction of a child and his closest adults.
Purpose. The purpose is to describe the goals, process and key findings of an intervention.
Target population. The target population are emotionally traumatised children in foster care and the foster care workers. The case study tells about an eleven year old boy Pekka and his own worker Aino from Tammenterho.
Source of information. The source of information is the written documented rehabilitation process in Huvitus and Pekka's and Aino's everyday life at Tammenterho. Pekka, Aino and the rehabilitation team kept a diary during the process. Other means were Pekka´s and Aino´s written feedback, discussions and interviews with the foster home workers and the rehabilitation team.
Instruments. The main instrument was interaction focused rehabilitation with Pekka and Aino. The instruments of rehabilitation were Theraplay®, experiental and functional methods, training in relevant everyday activities and peer group activities. The collaborative tools were intensive network between the forster home workers and the rehabilitation team and the counselling discussions. The rehabilitation process consisted of three days intervals and one-day activities (36 days together) during one and a half year.
Key findings: The Qualitative Key Findings. The rehabilitation was strengthening and sensitizing positive and growth-promoting relations between Pekka and Aino. The care experiences promoted by Theraplay® made the relation between Pekka and Aino more confidential and safe. Pekka seeks close contact with Aino and with the other adults and children in his foster home. He is more able to receive adults' comfort and support. He is more able to see connections between his own behaviour and the reactions of others. He is encouraged to be in a peer group but still needs support from adults.
Aino is more conscious of the resources she has for supporting Pekka's growth. She plays a significant role in transferring the influences of rehabilitation to Pekka's everyday life.
The other workers in the foster home Tammenterho understand Pekka's needs better. This understanding has also improved their relational skills with the other children. Pekkas birth mother is more aware of Pekka's special needs and collaborates better with the workers in Tammenterho.
It has been important that the workers in Tammenterho and Huvitus have created shared responsibility and professionalism. They share an understanding of how to enchance Pekka's well-being and promote his growth.
Implications and recommendations. It is significant for a foster care child to participate an interaction focused rehabilitation in early days with his/her own worker in order to support a child's growth and the relationship between them. All workers in foster care need support and counselling.
Interaction focused rehabilitation is an excellent means of strengthening and sensitizing positive and growth-promoting relations between children and workers. Especially important are the care experiences. The shared responsibility and professionality create the collaboration between different working units.
Further study is required to evaluate systematically the impact of the methods, to evaluate the functioning of the process and the results in children's and adults' everyday life.
Key references
Berg Insoo, K. & Kelly, S. (2000). Building Solutions in Child Protective Services. W. W. Norton.
Jernberg, A. M. & Booth, P. B. (1998). Theraplay. Helping Parents and Children Build Better Relationships through Attachment-Based Play. John Wiley and Son.
Turnell, A. & Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. A Solution and Safety oriented Approach to Child Protection Casework. W. W. Norton.
Contacts: Liisa Heino, Familytherapist, Socialworker, Huvitus Rehabilitation and Development Center, Valasrannantie 465, 21900 Yläne, Finland, E-mail: liisa.heino@mll.fi Phone +385 40 565 3745