Orphans into loving foster families in China

We were thrilled to host some of Thailand's most senior child welfare movers and shakers in the UK recently for exciting discussions about the future of Thailand's child welfare. 

Five of Thailand's top government officials, including the Director-General of the Department of Children & Youth, came to London to meet with members of the House of Lords and UK-based social welfare experts to discuss family placement in Thailand. 

The group were particularly excited to be welcomed into Kensington Palace by our Royal Patron, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, who gave his whole-hearted support and encouragement to this work.

The group came away truly understanding the significance of foster care in Thailand for vulnerable children, and with renewed momentum and passion in pushing forward a new social welfare system with Care for Children's support. 

This is international partnership at it's very best and we believe it will be looked back upon as watershed moment in the development of Thailand's social welfare. 

Thank you for all your support. Together we are strategically changing the way vulnerable children are cared for in Thailand. What a privilege!

China Update

The ground braking research project that we have been commissioned to write by the Chinese government is nearly half way through, there are 7 sections to the project and the remaining sections that are being researched are:

Section 3: How to prepare older foster children for a smotth transition to independance

Section 5: The role of foster care in promoting the transition of the function of the Social Welfare Institution

Section 6: The role of social workers in family foster care

Section 7: Influence of the family foster care project in the community and for families

We are very excited about the results so far and how this will impact children, families and communities in China

 Thailand Update

We are achieving some of the targets we have set for the country, we have planned for 2015:

• 4 new orphanages on board with Care for Children
• Support 80 children in families through their family placement allowance
• Build a training centre for the charity in Chaing Mai
• Launch and pilot new training material
• Internatinal study visit to the UK with Thai government delegates

Thailand has grown it's team and will look to increase its work into other strategic geographic locations in the country 

Thank you for you support in helping 1 million children have a family home, so far 300,000 children now have a local family home they can call their own because of your giving

Demand for Care for Children Training Workshops

It was incredibly encouraged to find out from Sunny, our China Project manager, that provincial level bodies of the Chinese government are positively reacting to the Dec 1 National Legislation on Foster Care. Which means our work is more important than ever with the potential for huge impact! 

There are a handful of provinces that are leading the way in their implementation of the best practice family placement model that Care for Children offers. Guizhou province in the South and Jilin province in the North have taken advantage of this new legislation and requested Care for Children run training workshops catering to all orphanage staff.

It is exciting to be integral to China’s implementation of long-term foster care.

Last year we told you about the groundbreaking research project we started in China thanks to your help. 

Over the last 5 months Anna Glover has been assisting Research Manager, Ning Zhang, in planning, creating and carrying out the research. We spoke to Anna as she reflected on her time with the research team. Here's what she had to say:

"It's been such a great experience being part of this research project. Travelling to many different regions of China with the pressure on the team to produce a piece of work that will be accessible on a national scale has not always been easy. However, we found ourveslves continually motivated by the impact that the report will have in China and global foster care practice as a whole.

The research aims to explore and document the impact foster care has had on children, foster families and the communities at large.

Furthermore, the research intends to address any challenges that foster care projects are currently facing, and gives Care for Children an opportunity to provide even more targeted training as a result. 

I am excited about the research because, once published, we believe this report will clearly demonstrate how Care for Children is changing the lives of orphaned and abandoned children in China for the better."

Thank you so much for all you have given to make this research a reality. This report will be an essential tool for relevant government officials and departments to better understand and address the problems vulnerable children in care are facing to continue to improve practices in years to come.

We are so thrilled that together we can help contribute towards long-term postitive changes in social welfare in China. 

Dear friends,

Thank you so much for your generous suppport this year!

What you have given really has made a difference.

Not just to the 7,800 children who have gone into families, or the 550 family placement workers who have been trained by Care for Children, but to the whole nation.

We are thrilled that earlier this month, the Chinese government announced a new national legislation listing family-based care as one of the primary alternative care methods for orphaned and abandoned children.

This is the first legislation of its kind in China and is a hugely signficant acheivement for the team.

It demonstrates national, systematic change in China as a result of Care for Children's training to improve the lives of vulnerable children.

We could not have acheived any of this though without your support. Thank you.

For 8 more days, Global Giving is offering the chance to make your gift go further, with bonuses given if 30 new donors sign up to give a monthly gift before December 31st.

Would you consider becoming a monthly donor for Care for Children?

Just $25 a month can help ensure a child receives the support they need as they grow up in the new loving family. 

Thank you and happy holidays!

Laura

Links:

• Set up your monthly gift here