Foster care – training and support

In course step 4.13 we thought about some of the factors we should consider when carefully developing foster care for unaccompanied and separated children and other children on the move, if required. This included the process of selection and training of foster carers against agreed standards and criteria. Training should consider the specific needs of unaccompanied and separated children, like, for example, psychosocial support and an understanding and appreciation of the background they come from, as well as difficulties they may have experienced. Ongoing support should also be provided to caregivers and children in foster placements.

In the last course step we saw examples of foster care provided in two refugee camps in Northern Ethiopia. In this video we will now see one of a series of training sessions offered to foster carers and kinship carers who take care of unaccompanied and separated children in the Hitsats refugee camp in the district of Shire, in Northern Ethiopia.

The training is led by Tasfaye Tilahun who is a Child Protection Officer employed by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Subjects covered in the training include information about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child protection, psychosocial support, child friendly communication, and positive discipline.

In the video we also hear from Yibeyin Hagos, a Senior Child Protection Officer for Innovative Humanitarian Solution, in Shimelba refugee camp also in the district of Shire, Ethiopia. Yibeyin also stresses the importance of training foster carers.

We would like to thank the UNHCR office in Shire for helping to facilitate the filming in the camps.