Project idea
The project is focused on enhancing the skills and qualifications of specialists working in non-profit organizations and state institutions that provide post-care support to young adults from residential institutions and foster families.
Participants will engage in a blended course, combining online and in-person learning, where they will explore modern approaches and effective practices for assisting orphanage graduates. The course covers a wide range of topics, including organizing support for young people with a history of orphanhood, providing aid in temporary and supported living arrangements, conducting activities in club formats, peer counseling, and individual meetings.
The program draws on contemporary research and evidence-based practices in personal development. It merges the proven experience of professionals working with orphanage graduates with cutting-edge approaches to helping at-risk youth develop their full potential. The goals and objectives of the project are: to enhance the qualifications of specialists working with residential institutions graduates; to improve the quality of post-care support services; to prevent social orphanhood and enhance the social integration of young people with a history of orphanhood; to disseminate effective practices for assisting this target group.
Relevance
Graduates from residential institutions and foster families face a range of challenges, stemming from their complex life histories and experiences of being orphaned. This significantly impedes their ability to socially integrate and live independently.
Social care professionals play a critical role in supporting these young adults, yet they often lack professional development opportunities and face resource shortages.
NGOs frequently struggle to access training programs due to financial constraints: “More than 60% of NGO leaders report that they lack the funds necessary to obtain vital knowledge” (Vladimir Potanin Foundation, ZIRCON Research Group, 2021). Additionally, “most free programs depend on grants, making their availability and duration reliant on continued funding” (ASI, 2022). Only 52% of non-profits provide staff with sufficient time and resources for professional training (White Nights Fundraising Conference, 2023).
The level of competency among specialists directly influences how effectively non-profits can address social issues: “It is knowledge that largely shapes how non-profits approach solving social problems” (Vladimir Potanin Foundation, ZIRCON Research Group, 2021).
The project’s focus on enhancing the skills of social care professionals will enable more efficient use of state resources for supporting graduates of residential institutions and foster families.
Social effect
Improved quality of life for graduates of residential institutions and foster families, raising their social status and well-being.
KPI
KPI
Project Results
Specialists have mastered and are in the process of implementing, or plan to implement, tools in their organizations that facilitate positive, sustainable changes in the lives of young people with a background of orphanhood. The organizational capacity of centers, services, and organizations has been strengthened by employing practices focused on personal potential, proven effective in helping graduates. Training within a community of professionals with shared interests has provided opportunities to discover new ways to enhance their work, share experiences regularly, seek prompt assistance when faced with difficult cases, and receive emotional support.
In the medium term, these efforts will lead to improved resourcefulness and socio-psychological adaptation for graduates, enabling them to transition more smoothly into independent life. Graduates will grow in personal potential, develop skills in constructive communication, achievement of goals and decision-making, and gain experience in choosing a behavioral strategy that suits the situation. Providing a safe living environment will allow them to survive the critical phase of turning 18 and leaving institutional care in a more balanced way.
In the long term, adequate psychological and social support during this transitional period will make higher-standard education more accessible, increase career opportunities, and develop stability in interpersonal relationships for orphanage graduates. It will also positively influence their own experiences as young parents. Overall, this support will help break the cycle of orphanhood and poverty, preventing the recurrence of the life patterns seen in their parental families.
Project progress after CSS funding
All course participants will be guaranteed long-term consultative and supervisory support during the implementation and realization of their acquired knowledge.
The course will become a permanent offering in the program. Future additions to the course will include topics addressing graduates with specific challenges, such as addictions, disabilities (including mental disabilities), and young parents at risk of losing their children. Successful practices in these areas and recommendations for working with such graduates are currently being researched.
Course participants will be integrated into a professional community that holds regular, monthly meetings through the Competency Development Club, offering ongoing emotional support and counseling for all the participating specialists.
Participating organizations can replicate these technologies in their own projects, with trainers from Victoria CF assisting.
Organizations that focus on both practical and methodological work will continue to disseminate the acquired knowledge and techniques to a wider audience.
The informational and methodological newsletter will also continue, currently reaching nearly ___ specialists.
Funding to support and enhance specialist competencies will be sourced from income generated by the endowment of BFD Victoria, as well as through competitive grants and subsidies.
