April 2015
IDENTIFYING ISSUES FACED BY PPA AND FTCH
During March, CIC SocioPolis conducted a number of focus groups with the participation of professional parental assistants, parent educators and children in foster care from various raions of the Republic of Moldova. Discussions aimed at revealing the issues faced by children in foster care, caregivers raising these children as well as their training needs. This activity was carried out within the framework of the Strengthening qualification of persons providing social services to children and youth from Moldova project, that also included a survey regarding the qualifications of specialists working with children at risk in order to identify opportunities to improve child care. The project is funded by the Czech Development Agency through the medium of Caritas Czech Republic and implemented by CIC SocioPolis in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family.
Focus groups tackled the following subjects:
-Motivation to become foster carer,
-Problems related to education, behaviour, learning faced by foster parents in taking care ofchildren,
-Practices on caring for foster children,
-Actions taken to reintegrate children in foster care in their biological or extended family,
-Training needs to improve communication between foster parents and children.
Focus group participants said they would like in the future to have the possibility to meet regularly with their colleagues from other cities to discuss issues they confront. They also pointed out the need to create some web pages providing different information and the possibility to exchange experience for a better care of children in placement.
