Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: At the first European Congress "Quality 4
Children on out-of-home care for children,
which took place from 1 to 2 June in Gmunden,
Austria, all participants agreed: without the
participation of children and youths, the
foundations for a project aimed at securing
and developing binding quality standards for
child care would be missing.
Through the project "Quality4Children", three large international
organisations, practising out-of-home care for children, hope to contribute
to improving the quality of this form of child care. This should not, however,
simply involve satisfying a minimum quality standard for child care, but
should aim to establish a high standard as the rule. "In the best interests
of the child" establishes the framework within which high quality child care
can be practised. The goal of "Quality4Children" is to put into effect,
throughout Europe, a child care method which focuses on the needs of
each individual child, and to have the necessary guidelines implemented on
the political level. The project's initiators are IFCO (International Foster
Care Organisation), FICE (Fédération Internationale des Communautés
Educatives), and SOS Children's Villages. Currently 32 European countries
are taking part in the project.
At the congress in Gmunden, in which participants from 54 European
countries were present, the idea "in the child's best interests" was once
more clearly defined: children and youths who cannot grow up with their
biological parents (there are approximately two million in Europe and
Central Asia alone), are the true experts on their own situation. They play
a key role in improving their opportunities for development.
This is why in Gmunden youths were also invited to share their views and
personal experiences, judgement and concerns, and to bring in their
expert knowledge, which will become part of "Quality4Children". A youth
from Ireland got to the heart of the situation of those affected; "In market
inquiries the consumers are asked, why is it that in the field of social work,
the producers are asked?" A youth from the Netherlands said, "We are left
out. They listen to what we say, but they do not act accordingly." The living
conditions and conditions for the development of children and youths in
out-of-home care do not correspond to their needs. In many cases, this
even applies to children growing up in their biological families. The youths
explicitly expressed their wish to participate by saying, "We have the
experience. We have the creative ideas. We have another point of view.
We are directly affected by your decisions. We are the most important part
of the system."
The German social educational expert Klaus Wolf agreed. Children have
unalienable and unconditional rights from birth, and it not us who gives
them these rights. It is not enough to proclaim these rights in soapbox
oratory. Andrew Hosie, a university lecturer on children's home care in
Glasgow, explained that to counsel does not mean to speak, but first and
foremost to listen.
Quality for all children?
FICE President Theo Binnendijk, who opened the congress together with
IFCO President Chris Gardiner and SOS Children's Villages President
Helmut Kutin, stated, right at the start of the conference, "We
want 'Quality4Children' to count for all children."
Social educational expert Heinrich Kupffer affirmed this conviction and
provokingly asked why everyone questions the quality of out-of-home care
and not that within families? In some families, according to Kupffer, it
would be better if child care were approached like it is in some children's
homes. Growing up in the biological family should in no way be equated
with "quality". And if "child care quality" is a concern of the congress, then
these demands for quality should be valid for all children, including those
growing up in their biological families.
However, quality is not easy to work towards: educational experts have to
be creative and free in their work, they cannot follow norms too closely,
since what is good for one child can be exactly wrong for another.
According to Kupffer, if needed, standards can be set and developed for
organisational matters, such as education, and are important merely for
the purpose of ensuring social approval or the understanding between
colleagues from different countries. Quality in child care means more than
following these standards, as it comprises a specific style of association,
commitment of the co-workers, and a specific conception of man. Maturity is
something one must develop. Indeed, as educational scientist Eva Dreher
from Vienna stated in her report, development should not be considered
something pertinent only to children and youths, rather it is understood
today as a process which extends though one's whole life.
Working together
Many topics were raised during the congress and many experts,
organisations and initiatives met to exchange views and to work together
towards a common goal. The need to join forces was also emphasized by
IFCO President Chris Gardiner in his opening speech. In this effort, the
participation of the youths may in no way be forgotten; "Let's put
ourselves at eye level with the children", requested SOS Children's Villages
President Helmut Kutin.