As Mother’s Day approaches, the Association of Latvian SOS Children’s Villages will start an informational campaign in which it will invite families to become foster families, as well as provide support to existing foster families, informed the representative of the association Dace Dzedone.
The association states that during the past five years, the number of families that obtain the status of a foster family has halved. Also, the number of foster families that take in children has decreased. On the other hand, the number of children whose parents’ custody rights are terminated remains unchanged.
During the campaign, families will be invited to consider becoming foster families for children who have lost the custody of their biological parents. During it, you will be able to get acquainted with the stories of the experiences of several foster families, learn more about the support system for foster families and the process of how families can become foster families.
Ilze Paleja, director of the Latvian SOS Children’s Villages Association, emphasizes that every day colleagues from the out-of-family care support center “Airi for parents” receive phone calls and letters from orphan courts with a request to find families for children whose parents have been deprived of custody rights, but there are not enough families.
“Colleagues from other out-of-family care support centers in Latvia also face a similar situation. There are various reasons for the lack of foster families, but one thing is clear, new families are urgently needed so that children have the opportunity to experience childhood in a safe, supportive and family environment. Therefore, in May let’s share the stories of our foster families and invite other families to open their hearts and homes to children who need it so much,” emphasizes Paleja.
The Association of Latvian SOS Children’s Villages is a non-governmental charity organization that provides long-term family care for children left without parental care, maintains family support centers and out-of-family care support center “Airi for parents” in several Latvian municipalities, as well as implements various social prevention programs
In the foster families of two SOS children’s villages in Īslīke and Valmiera, in several integrated SOS families, as well as in the SOS youth home in Jelgava – 130 children and young people from all over Latvia have found support, security and new homes. In total, more than 1,200 children receive help in all support programs implemented by SOS Children’s Villages during the year.
