Conscious Parent Academy – Replacement parent urgently needed
Many social workers are experiencing a sense of “burnout”, caused, among other things, by the constant stress associated to working with the general public and to having too many responsibilities. To address this issue, between September 13th - 17th, 2021, an international training took place in the meeting hall of the Vilnius City Municipality Council. The training was organized by project partner - Public institution “My Family Academy” (Vilnius, Lithuania) together with associate partner this institution cooperates - Vilnius City Municipality Administration. Training was supported in the framework of a European project implemented under the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership “Conscious Parent Academy – Replacement parent urgently needed!“.
“Public institution - My Family Academy” from Lithuania , the “Education Foundation SMART” and “The Social Welfare Center (MOPS)” from Poland, “Instituto de Apoio à Criança” from Portugal and are partners in the project and participated in the training event. Furthermore, the Vilnius care centers, Vilnius city municipality, the Association of Guardians and Foster Parents, and the members of the State Child rights Protection and Adoption Service took part in the event as representatives of the project’s target groups (i.e. educators who provide professional help to carers, such as care coordinators, psychologists, doctors, family assistants and guardians/ foster parents) and asscociate members of the project.
The training was focused on strengthening professionals working in the field of care, to protect them against excessive stress, long-term stress and burnout. The main topics addressed during the training were: what are the burnout first symptoms, how to help the colleagues to avoid burnout, how to detect risk factors and improve the workers well-being. The most important thing is to help yourself using various practical methods and techniques.
Participants shared their experience and knowledge, establishing a constructive dialogue. Beyond the professional burnout, the training was also an opportunity to learn about different perspectives on caring/parental burnout and to discuss practical cases of burnout in foster and adoptive families. From this experience partners have learned how important it is to take care of themself, to be able to take fully care of others.
The participants very much appreciated the topics covered during the training, the place and the way it was organized. This event, marrying the spirit of collaboration that inspires European projects, allowed participants to learn more about a topic while sharing information about their countries.
As abovementioned, the event was part of a European project that will last from 01-09-2020 to 31-08-2023. The main goal of the project is to educate the families of guardians, foster parents and people intending to become them. Also to strengthen and develop their competencies, as well as the competencies of educators and other workers who work or cooperate with mentioned families.
The aim of the project is implemented in order to:
- Provide a range of support: face-to-face and online training for those working with carers, foster parents and those intending to become carers, as well as training for carers and adoptive families. The training is carried out in cooperation with foreign partner institutions (during the project, face-to-face training will take place in Lithuania, Poland and Portugal).
- Develop tools that help to improve care process
- Strengthen the image of foster families and mutual support
More about the project: https://consciousparentacademy.com
