Workshop 30, 27/5 14:30-15:30

Declan - Lecturer in social work, National University of Ireland, Galway, Family Therapist, Social Worker,Republic of Ireland

Supporting Parents and Practitioners with the Non Violent Resistance Programme– Practitioners Responses to an NVR training programme in Ireland.

"Background and aim: Child to parent violence and abuse raises a variety of dilemmas and questions for practitioners and for researchers – what is the best response, how to work with families and how to support practitioners? The aim of this proposed workshop is to demonstrate the links between training, practice and research with Non Violent Resistance in Ireland. Drawing from personal practice and research, the facilitator will share the experiences of practitioners in Ireland supporting parents living with child to parent violence. Delegates will also hear about an action research project involving 5 countries (Bulgaria, England, Ireland, Spain and Sweden) exploring the response of practitioners to 2 models of intervention – Non Violent Resistance and Break4Change.

Methods: Following a brief review of research conducted in Europe on child to parent violence, the theme of ‘this is how we do NVR’ is addressed when the facilitator uses case examples from practice and quotes from practitioners to illustrate how practitioners in Ireland responded to NVR training and implemented support aspects of NVR. A case discussion and role play will encourage participants to ‘think through’ practice dilemmas in NVR implementation and to resolve challenges. A question and answer session where the facilitator and workshop participants will explore ideas and dilemmas that emerged in earlier parts of the workshop.

Results and Conclusion: Research and experience indicates that NVR effectively supports practitioners and parents in addressing child to parent violence and abuse."

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Workshop 31, 27/5 14:30-15:30

FOSTER PARENTING

Martin A. Fellacher, Austria, PINA – Pedagogical Institute for New Authority. Social Worker, HR Manager, Competence Developer. Emphases on schools, residential care for children and youths as well as parental coaching. Expertise in intercultural settings.

Foster parents – special constellations in foster families

Even talking about their own children, it’s sometimes a big challenge for parents – after longer periods of ongoing disputes and frustration – to give their children the feeling of a strong relationship, including a message like „Whatever you do, as your parents we will always be beside you.“

Apart from the fact, that the life story of the child may pose additional difficulties, foster parents often face a lot of specific challenges at this point: Sometimes, they may host a foster child only for a certain period of time. Maybe, they have biological children as well, which may cause a (perceived) hierarchy amongst the children. Building a supporter’s network could be more difiicult, as it may be tougher to gain the support oft he extended family for non biological children.

Further more, how would a child respond on the fact, that the parents get money for fostering it?

Those are all questions out of the work with foster parents. In this workshop, some ideas of solutions will be raised as well as there will be space for exchange of practical experiences for all participants.