Understanding the Trauma of Children from Institutions.: A training manual for case workers

This book was written for anyone who works on the ground to move children from institutions into families. You as a social worker, case manager, counsellor, or person otherwise involved in this process need to be aware of the issues addressed in this book to make sure that the placement of children in families becomes sustainable. It will help to do an effective assessment of a child and to make decisions and put together a care plan and support structure that has the best chance of a successful, sustainable placement for the child. The aim of this book is to give you an insight into the influences that have affected the children, the effects on their development, and ways in which the families they will be placed with can handle the challenges ahead of them. This insight allows you to determine through assessment which of the issues described here are relevant for an individual child and it may also alert you to the need to look for specific issues when you assess the child. In turn, this helps you decide what kind of support the child and the family she goes to will most likely need. The manual can serve as a basis for the training - adapted to the needs of the individual child and family, and to the local context - that you will need to provide the family to help them understand what they can expect and how they can cope with the challenges ahead.