Written By : Kristen & Sprite Chuenchum
THE PROBLEM
UNICEF reported that in 2019 there were over 120,000 children in Thailand who have been removed from their families and communities and are currently living in some form of residential care. Most, they reported, were placed in these orphanages or shelters due to poverty
THE OBSTACLES
From conversations with both private and government run shelter staff, we have heard 5 major obstacles to reunification that are specific to Thailand, its government’s structure, the culture, and a number of other factors
THE OBSTACLEOF JURISDICTION
“Thesechildrencomefroma differentprovince,faraway Our power/capacitycannotreachthat far” -Governmentofficer
LACKOFFAMILY STRENGTHENING SERVICESON THEGROUND
“Therearesofewservicesfor families Andcertainlynotinevery province,accessibletoevery communitythatchildrencouldbe returningto” -NGOworker
FAMILY
STRENGTHENING TAKESTOO MUCHTIME
“Ourchildprotectionofficersdon’t havethecapacitytodofamily strengtheninginadditiontotheir otherduties” “Yeahfamilystrengtheningisgreat, buthowdowedoit?” -Governmentofficials
THE OBSTACLEOF COMMUNITY PUSH-BACK
“Wedon’twantthebadkarma comingbacktoourvillage.Thatkid wasnaughtyandtheirfamilybad Don’tbringthembackhere.” -CommunityLeader
FAMILY STRENGTHENING SERVICESNEED TOBEMULTDISCIPLINARY
Afamily’slifeisascomplexasitis unique-andfamiliesinvulnerable situationsneedthefullgamutof servicesavailable Theproblemis, whileeachdepartmentoffers highlyqualifiedandtrained professionalstohelpfamilies,there israrelythekindofcollaboration thatmakesaccessingthewide breadthofwelfarenecessary simpleforfamilies.
THE SOLUTION
Whatisneededtoreintegratethese 100,000+childrenwiththeir biologicalorkinshipfamilies?
Afamily strengthening mechanism
inthecommunity
thatwillwalkalongsidethefamily, strengthenthemasneeded, andsurroundthemwithsupport astheirfamilyreunites.
Weaving hearts together for our mutual healing.
"Saan Jai Rak"
PROJECT GOALS Improvechildwell-being.
A child’s environment shapes who they are as well as the trajectory of the rest of their life. Children develop better when caring adults are engaged in their lives. By reuniting children with their biological families, they gain their identity back as sons and daughters. By reintegrating children back into their community they gain a support system that heals.
Strengthenfamilies.
Children are more likely to thrive when their families have the support they need. By focusing on the five universal family strengths identified in the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, community leaders and service providers will be able to engage, support, and partner with parents and together achieve the best outcomes for kids.
One of the most under-utilized factors in Thai society by child protection agencies and workers is the strength of Thai communities. When given the proper resources and knowledge, leaders in Thai communities could be the key to reintegrating thousands of children back to their family and community and prevent further separation.
PROJECT STRATEGY
The Strengthening Families framework we propose is a research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. It is based on engaging families and communities in building family strengthening protective factors within a child’s home through a well-trained community leader.
Our strategy involves the following 7 research-based pillars that will improve children’s lives, strengthen their families, and enrich their communities.
Community-BasedFamilyStrengthening
The Saan Jai Rak approach utilizes “hidden figures” - a term made famous by the movie named after the group of African American women who worked for NASA. Every community in Thailand has “hidden figures” - aunties, elders, concerned shop owners, church members, good neighbors, elected officials - who are already caring well for their neighbors. With proper training and supervision, these “hidden figures” will visit families weekly ensuring children are well cared for and families feel supported Utilizing community-level leaders like these allows our project to operate anywhere a child might return
Family-LedEmpowerment
Together with the community leader and the child’s social worker, each family will map out a long-term plan for strengthening their own family With the family in charge, they will choose which strengthening topics they wish to partake in from our menu of 8 different topics (see below) They will receive focused coaching in whichever topics they choose throughout the year It is vital that the family remains the leader of their own lives as well as the leader in this process Strengthening strategies may be suggested but ultimately the family must choose their own path forward They are the heroes of their own story
IncomeGeneration
Poverty is one of the main causes of child separation and will need to be addressed in order to stabilize the family post-reunification Financial investment will be given as income generation grants to participating families that will help combat the poverty most of these families are facing that caused them to leave their children in residential care in the first place By increasing the family’s income through business or career development, the family’s risk of placing the child back in care is lowered significantly
ConsistentCoaching
Consistent coaching is necessary for family strengthening strategies to make a real difference in the lives of these families Whether that be coaching in financial literacy, positive parenting, the dangers of technology, protecting children from predators, etc - these skills are necessary for parents to build resiliency so the child remains safe and nurtured long into the future Community leaders will be trained and supervised weekly in how to keep the family accountable to the goals they set and their long-term plans for sustainability
LinkagetoGovernmentWelfare/Resources
Families are not meant to rely on the support from Project Saan Jai Rak for more than one year We are a boost but not the long-term solution Connecting families to government welfare schemes and other local resources will set them up for success long into the future after our project ends By understanding their rights and knowing how to access them, these families will be fortified through the support of their own government.
Protective Factors are research-based strategies that globally have helped families in need fortify their families for their children By teaching caregivers these factors and coaching them in practical ways to implement them, these families will be sustained not only financially but relationally and practically as well Caregivers will be equipped to handle future crises which will prevent them from reinstitutionalizing their child again
The Saan Jai Rai approach to increasing early childhood well-being will integrate trauma-informed approaches and evidence-based family strengthening practices throughout our services. These approaches work to strengthen the child’s relationships and help pivot behavioral challenges that may come from past traumatic experiences, particularly negative experiences that might have occurred because of unnecessary alternative care placement We plan to infuse these bodies of knowledge into the environments closest to children and where it matters most: in the community and home Caregivers and community leaders should understand and be able to enact trauma-informed approaches as well as family strengthening strategies
I V I T I E S
P R O J E C T A C T
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Connect with government shelter who then identifies cases of children ready for reintegration.
Family agrees to join the Saan Jai Rak program. Expectations and partnership agreement is signed.
Identify, screen, interview and accept community leader - one community leader per family.
Train community leader in family strengthening processes, protective factors, and trauma informed care.
Hold a case meeting with all relevant stakeholders. Goals and long-term plan is set with the family.
Community leader implements family strengthening and coaching on a weekly basis.
Family can apply for a family strengthening grant after 3 months of being in the program.
Project Leader provides empowering supervision to the community leader weekly via zoom and visits quarterly in-person.
9 Case closes after 1 year of service. Monitoring & evaluation is conducted for future learning.
x repeated for 3 cycles
WHY IT MATTERS
Early experiences shape children’s future outcomes and are pivotal to their development Reintegration success, mental wellness, the ability to form healthy relationships, and general health and well-being begin at an early age. Focusing on the overall well-being of a child (including their mental, emotional, and physical wellness) in their early years creates a foundation for growth that will last a lifetime. Institutionalcareharmsand
90%ofhumanbrainsare developed
INVEST IN A CHILD’S FUTURE BY INVESTING IN THEIR FAMILY
FOR $100 SPONSOR A FAMILY with PROJECT SAANJAIRAK
/MONTH
YOU CAN HELP SEND A CHILD HOME
What your sponsorship helps cover...
Contributes to the costs of a family to participate in the Saan Jai Rak Program which includes:
An income generation grant or materials.
The stipend of a “hidden figure” or community leader visit the family weekly and implement family strengthening practices to build resilience.
In person orientation, training and quarterly visits from the Project Leader to offer support, guidance, and supervision.
Administrative and support costs including monitoring, evaluation, and research to determine best practices for families in the program.
What your sponsorship does...
Meets a family’s physical needs upon receiving their child back into their home.
Pulls a family out of poverty so they can support their child long into the future.
Provides peer support and encouragement by a trusted neighbor/leader.
Equips an entire community with family strengthening tools and child protection knowledge.
Brings a child HOME. Transforms a child from “orphan” back to “son”, “daughter”, “grandson”, “niece”, “nephew”.
Improves a child’s life and future by giving them their family back.
PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
2028
PilotProjectconductsinitialservice planwith15familiesovera3year period.
Rigorousevaluationisconducted, feedbackanddatacollected, reportswrittenanddisseminated throughoutThailand.
2029 Ifsuccessful,possibleexpansion dependentonnumberoffamilies sponsored.Hirecasemanagers.
2030 Duplicatemodelthroughout Thailand. WEDREAMOF...
CommunityleadersalloverThailand providingfamilystrengthening servicessochildrencanreturn homeandchildrenareprevented fromeverleavingtheirhome.
"If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us worktogether."
-Lilla Watson
