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Intensive
Family Preservation Programme for Children in Dysfunctional
Families
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The Centre has
been undertaking a Family Support services project (Intensive
Family services project) in Madurai city since 1991 under the
aegis of OZ child-Children Australia Inc, Australia to work with
various types of dysfunctional families including families of
‘children on the streets’ and working children. The centre
believes in the principle "Helping the family is helping the
child". When the family is vulnerable, the child is vulnerable.
When a family is dysfunctional, a support to build and
strengthen it reduces the vulnerability and therefore of the
child.
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The project
aims at adopting a holistic care approach to the children and
their families, which would ensure family strengthening and
building which would prevent children to be at imminent risk. A
survey conducted by the Centre has revealed the fact that of 361
dysfunctional families covered under the project during the
period 1991-1997, a sizeable section (34.90%) of the families
fell under the type ‘female headed families’, whereas a lower
proportion of them (5.54%) were classified as ‘families likely
to disintegrate’. Families of street children and working
children accounted for 17.18%. It was found that 24.95% of the
‘stressed families’ had both father and mother alive. Sadly
enough, 6.37% of the families got disintegrated owing to marital
discord. In point of fact, the causes of family dysfunctions in
the client population are manifold. An analysis of the causes
has revealed the fact that lack of means of livelihood, marital
disagreement, financial difficulties, death of spouse, problem
of ill health of spouse (husband), alcoholic behaviour of
husband, domestic violence (wife/husband battering), lack of
understanding of family values, shirking of family
responsibility by the husband, and neurotic/psychotic behaviour
of spouse have resulted in families becoming ‘dysfunctional’.
Our centre has been providing family support services focussing
on children, youth and family as a whole namely a) children
centred services and family focused services. Since 1991, 18292
families have received family support services, of which 7431
families belong to Scheduled Castes(socially oppressed
communities,179 families belong to tribal communities,8431 hail
from socially and economically backward caste groups, and 1457
are considered as ‘Most backward/Denotified tribal caste
groups’. The rest (794 families) belong to upper caste groups.
As regards children in dysfunctional families, 3529 of them have
been provided with child centred services by our centre.
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The project
aims at adopting a holistic care approach to the children
and their families, which would ensure family strengthening
and building which would prevent children to be at imminent
risk. A survey conducted by the Centre has revealed the fact
that of 361 dysfunctional families covered under the project
during the period 1991-1997, a sizeable section (34.90%) of
the families fell under the type ‘female headed families’,
whereas a lower proportion of them (5.54%) were classified
as ‘families likely to disintegrate’.
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Families of
street children and working children accounted for 17.18%.
It was found that 24.95% of the ‘stressed families’ had both
father and mother alive. Sadly enough, 6.37% of the families
got disintegrated owing to marital discord. In point of
fact, the causes of family dysfunctions in the client
population are manifold. An analysis of the causes has
revealed the fact that lack of means of livelihood, marital
disagreement, financial difficulties, death of spouse,
problem of ill health of spouse (husband), alcoholic
behaviour of husband, domestic violence (wife/husband
battering), lack of understanding of family values, shirking
of family responsibility by the husband, and
neurotic/psychotic behaviour of spouse have resulted in
families becoming ‘dysfunctional’. Our centre has been
providing family support services focussing on children,
youth and family as a whole namely a) children centred
services and family focused services. Since 1991, 18292
families have received family support services, of which
7431 families belong to Scheduled Castes(socially oppressed
communities,179 families belong to tribal communities,8431
hail from socially and economically backward caste groups,
and 1457 are considered as ‘Most backward/Denotified tribal
caste groups’. The rest (794 families) belong to upper caste
groups. As regards children in dysfunctional families, 3529
of them have been provided with child centred services by
our centre.
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Family
support services have a special contribution to make in
meeting the needs of families and the children. They prove
to be highly beneficial to the families and the children on
the streets for as much as they are a. comprehensive b.
integrated c. flexible d. combine practical assistance and
therapeutic counselling e. involved with the family long
enough to ensure change is sustained f. grass roots
organisations g. based on a model that recognises and builds
on strengths and h. preventive. |
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While the
family support services are comprehensive in nature, and
continue to maintain a family focus, specialised initiatives
are made to provide care and protection of the children in
the families with a preventive and rehabilitative
perspective. The families are enabled to access appropriate
practical assistance as well as therapeutic interventions.
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Programme methodology:
The centre adopts a case
management approach, which includes six components namely:
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1. |
Case identification |
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2. |
Assessment and Planning |
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3. |
Co-ordination |
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4. |
Implementation of services |
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5. |
Monitoring, evaluation and
reassessment and Termination. (Based on Karen Orloff Kaplan
model, USA, 1990).
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Types of Family
support services:
The following family
support services are offered to the children on the streets and
their families:
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1. |
Educational support |
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2. |
Sponsorship and school and home placement |
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3. |
Childhood enrichment programs |
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4. |
Crisis intervention & Counselling services |
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5. |
Parent Education & Support Services |
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6. |
Resourcing and Advocacy |
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7. |
Health promotion programs |
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8. |
Micro financial assistance to select families |
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9. |
Job search and placement |
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10. |
Material assistance to families |
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11. |
Harm minimization program for alcohol/substance abusing
parents |
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12. |
Networking with local support systems |
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