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Description
Studies (M. Jerszow 2019) show that even the most mature young people in the foster system exhibit a high level of fear, aggression, and unwillingness to change one year before leaving the facility. The percentage of persons who have become independent in this group and who receive welfare or are unemployed in 2012–2013 was: 23.1% (welfare) and 31.2% (unemployed) (Supreme Audit Office (NIK) 2014). In Sochaczew County, there are two care facilities and 60 foster families, but to date there have been no all-embracing projects to help with the process of becoming independent. The project will provide support for wards of the foster system in becoming independent and prompting them to express their views in matters concerning them. There will be three areas of activity. The first two will be awareness-raising (workshops on law, economics and administration, IT, and soft skills) and empowerment of children (drama, art, and martial arts workshops and an integration and therapy excursion) preparing them at the same time for a self-advocacy role. The third area is practical activities (employee or voluntary internships, support or self-help groups, a consultation point, self-advocacy). For guardians of children in the foster system, we will conduct eight workshops to enhance their child-raising, communication, and economic and legal skills. This will mean greater self-confidence, agency, and competencies of children and their guardians. Self-advocacy measures will be initiated. 50 wards of the foster system from Sochaczew County (20 aged 7-12 and 30 aged over 12) and 20 guardians will participate in the measures. The informal group Open Sochaczew will help to organize drama workshops and employee internships, and in communication measures. The County Family Aid Center will provide premises and personnel for the Consultation Point.
Summary of project results
The project responds to the need to support people leaving foster care in the Sochaczew district. Foster care leavers who wish to participate in systemic emancipation must have an individual emancipation programme drawn up at least one month before they turn 18. In many cases, this programme is formal and its only effect is to receive benefits. There is no template for an individual emancipation programme. These young people are at risk of homelessness, unemployment, trouble with the law, and developmental and health problems. Even the most mature young people from foster care show high levels of anxiety, aggression and aversion to change a year before leaving care (M. Yershov, 2019). The percentage of this group who became independent and used social benefits or unemployment status in 2012-2013 was 23.1% and 31.2% respectively (NIK, 2014). In Sochaczew district there are 2 foster care institutions with 30 children over 7 years old and 60 foster families with about 70 children, including more than 60 over 7 years old. Apart from the activities carried out by the competent authorities within the framework of their legal competence, no comprehensive projects to support the process of emancipation have been implemented there for a long time.
Various activities were carried out as part of the project. A counselling point was opened in the Poviat Family Assistance Centre in Sochaczew, where foster children and their foster parents received specialist counselling - psychological, accounting, legal. Thirty-seven workshops were held for children, young people and their carers, covering psychological and emotional strengthening, economic, legal and social issues, sex education and the development of their own passions. In parallel, six months of integration and therapeutic activities took place, from which the young people could choose theatre, art, dance or sports activities. An opportunity for integration and education was a multi-day trip for 40 participants to Międzygórze. A volunteer club "Kuźnia Aktywności" was also created - a place for integration and activation of people with disabilities and neurodiversity and their carers. People active in the club participated in the preparation of the self-advocacy booklet "Spectrum of Stories about Autism".
The project supported foster care alumni in becoming independent and motivating them to speak up for their own issues. A total of 93 people took part in the activities, including 43 foster care alumni and alumnae, 23 foster parents, 16 people with disabilities and neurodiversity and 13 parents of these people. Children and young people developed a sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy, and carers developed the competence to support their foster care alumni towards independence. Cooperation was also established with 4 local institutions in the field of volunteering. It was possible to integrate the foster care community, both children and foster parents, who work alongside the project promoter as an informal group. An important element of the project is the implementation of new standards and tools in the work of both the project promoter, the District Family Support Centre in Sochaczew and the foster care institutions.