Why the Post Placement support service?
In the past, Ugandan families looked after children from within their kinship network and sometimes these children were ‘adopted’. In other circumstances, people took on the care of non-kin children and made these their own. These children were also referred to as ‘adopted’.
As such, there are a good number of Ugandan families who have ‘adopted’ and yet the children have grown up believing they are biological children of their families. Telling a child they are adopted has majorly been considered a taboo, something one cannot and is not permitted to disclose leave alone talk about. More people are becoming aware of formal adoption and many people will or have already started considering the need to tell their child their adoption story or the story could be accidentally be let out by someone else. However, they lack the ‘knowhow’ to do this. This is where the post placement support service comes in.
In addition once a family adopts according to Ugandan law, the family is closely monitored and supported during the 3 years of fostering before adoption. During this period, a family has regular contact with their social worker and placing child care agency. However, we realized that there is a gap in support and service provision after the 3 years period has elapsed. Families will have often felt isolated, abandoned and unsupported. This is likely to create opportunities for placements to break down causing significant emotional damage for both the child and family involved.
What is the Post placement Support Service/Center about?
On behalf of the Government of Uganda (Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development) through the Ugandans Adopt campaign, The Post Placement Support Service is an initiative by Families For Children (an umbrella of over 150 Ugandan NGOs working with vulnerable children) and Child’s i Foundation through Ugandans Adopt .It is going to be jointly facilitated Staff members of these two child welfare organizations and the Ugandans Adopt team. Its activities will be reported to the Ministry of Gender Labour Social Development. The Post placement support Service / Center will begin operations in August 2014
Where we are right now.
In April and May we held discussions about the service and had meeting with our partners. In June 2014 we had a number of trainings of key staff on specialist areas of support. This month we will have a Workshop with MoGLSD to create awareness and then the service will be launched in August 2014
Through this service we aim to provide ongoing free support and become a ‘one stop shop’ for both fostering and adoptive families and their children in areas of need such as;
- What next the child is finally home
- What support to expect from their social workers
- What support to expect from the probation service
- Where to go for: counseling, behavioral management, emotional health issues, legal support
- Family does not get the social work service they deserve or don’t get along with their social workers
- They are worried about their child
- Where to get training
- etc
The service will empower foster and adoptive families with the right information to manage their situation(s).
Who is the service for?
- A national country wide service
- Adoptive Parents- local and international
- Adoptees
- Relatives/friends of adopters
- Foster carers
- Social workers
- Foster children.
What services are being offered?
- Support with adoption order application
- Support with care orders
- Support finding a good trusted specialist – Lawyer, child psychologist etc
- Support with Probation Office issues
- Independent social work support
- Telling a child they are adopted
- Telling families and friends about an adoption
- Life story work and memory book/box
- Sign posting to Counseling for adoptees
- Sign posting to Counseling for Adoptive Parents
- Parenting skills support
- Behavioral management guidance for parents
- Link for any issues relating to adoption and fostering
- A helping hand to navigate the adoption and fostering process
- The support when agency social work support comes to an end after fostering period
- Resource centre for information; books; journals?, testimonies, surveys, research etc.
How do I access this service?
- On the Ugandans Adopt campaign website and Face book page.
- Post adoption chat room/ask a question online
- Our hotline: + 256 (0) 776110315/07020606876
- Email: [email protected]
- Visit our offices at: 245 Sentema Road Mengo Bulange/ VIVA CRANE behind Namirembe Catherdral.
- We will make Individual home or office visits upon booking of appointments.
- Group training, discussions
How will it work?
A child or family in need will make an enquiry through the avenues listed above.
a member of the PPS team will immediately respond to the enquiry.
Our hotline is a dedicated phone line, which will be available, will be answered at any one given time.
There will be a web portal (online resource bank) accessible by all dedicated members of the PPS team for use whilst on duty.