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Fairstart Foundation Fairstart Foundation offers research-based education in
Our mission is to improve both the professional skills and
quality care to caregivers for vulnerable and neglected
knowledge of caregivers for vulnerable and neglected
children.
children and adolescents.
We engage in partnerships with national and international
We empower local caregiving systems and competences,
NGO’s, interest and foster care organisations, and govern-
and thus ensure long-lasting local capacity to care for vul-
ments in many countries.
nerable children and youth.
In Fairstart, we work everyday to ensure that more children can have a safe childhood.
Do you Want to be our partner ?
Contact us at: info@fairstartfoundation.com
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Fairstart’s Training Programmes We offer free online training programmes for caregiv-
The versions have so far been developed for two target
ers for vulnerable and neglected children.
groups:
The training programmes are available at our website in 19 language versions, developed in collaboration with a
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Foster care systems (for children 0-18 years)
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Staff in children’s homes and alternative care facilities (0-18 years)
global network of child-at-risk researchers and experts from all across Europe. The programmes are continuously updated according to recent research and global demands. The programmes consist of 8 - 15 training sessions for groups of caregivers, which includes all basic aspects of quality care for children, illustrated by texts and videos. The group-training curriculum teaches caregivers how to use the attachment-theory in their daily lives, and how they through attachment-based care can improve children’s development, well being and learning.
Currently, our training programmes are available in 19 language versions: German
Greek
Japanese
Italian
Latvian
Russian
Polish
Turkish
English
Spanish
Catalonian
Indonesian
Bulgarian
Swahili
Romanian
Kinyarwanda
Greenlandic
Danish
Vietnamese
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Fairstart’s Certified Instructor Education We regularly educate Fairstart instructors who can
DID you know?
train local caregiver groups in the material from our
The Certified Instructor Education is offered
training programmes.
in different packages and can be customised to the needs of your organisation.
An instructor is typically a consultant or a selected mem-
Please contact us for more information
ber from a caregiver group, who will teach his or her col-
about package options.
leagues. The instructors take online classes while simultaneously training local caregiver groups in our customised training programmes. During their online education we assist and supervise the instructors in their training and implementation process. On the online platform instructors learn through discussions, training sessions, personal reflections and peer feedback. An instructor education typically consists of 8 modules and runs over a period of 4-6 months. It is installed on the Harvard and MIT education platform edX, through which instructors become part of a global network.
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Fairstart and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals In agreement with UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we believe that everyone has the right to a dignified life. As our name suggests, our educations ensure a fair start to life for children all over the world. Below you can read two examples of how we in Fairstart contribute to reaching the goals: Goal 3: Health and well -being: We wish to secure a healthy life and the well- being of all age groups. We aim at improving the quality of life for vulnerable children and youth. Research shows a clear connection between childhood neglect and the ability to engage in social relations, complete an education, and the general mental health later in life. The feedback from our instructors and caregivers shows a very positive effect on the well-being and development of the children shortly after caregivers start applying our theoretical and practical framework. Goal 4: Quality educations: We want to secure equal access to quality education and thereby promote everyone’s option for lifelong learning. Our ambition to help children gain a better life is realised through high quality education for foster parents and caregivers of vulnerable children and youth. Our education is based on the idea that every child needs contact with a caring adult and a securet base. We lift both the practical and theoretical competences of foster parents and caregivers – which benefits the development and learning of children and youth.
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Where do we work? Our programmes have been implemented in Denmark, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Romania, Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria and Estonia and many more‌
In close co-operation with our local partner; ReAct Indonesia we have success-fully educated several instructors from resi-dential care institutions in Indonesia.
We have strong partnerships with organisations such as the National Board of Social Services in Greenland, and SOS Children’s Villages Denmark in East-Africa.
We work with several local organisations, residential care institutions and governmental institutions in Denmark.
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Partnership Projects In spring 2018, we initiated a co-creation project with the National Board of Social Services in Greenland.The joint co-creation project focuses on interdisciplinary education for teachers, day care workers and workers in residential homes, working with relation-based caregiving. The purpose is, in interaction between Fairstart, Greenlandic experts, professionals, parents as well as children and young people, to create a common knowledge of quality care, which is the basis for children’s’ successful development at school. The first class of instructors started their education in September 2018.
In coorporation with SOS Children’s Villages in Denmark, we launched a joint fostercare project in the spring of 2017. The aim of the project was to educate a class of SOS-employees as certified Fairstart instructors in Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somaliland and Kenya. During their education the instructors taught foster parents and SOS-mothers in attachment-based care. Thus, the foster families gained a solid foundation of knowledge that enabled them to improve the care for the children. The education proved to be a great succes. In winter 2018, the first class of committed african SOS-employees gained the title of Certified Fairstart Instructor. The education programmes has benefitted more than 600 children in the local areas.
Supporters and partners of Fairstart
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Mica Fonden HolkegĂĽrd Fonden
And many more...
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The founders of Fairstart Foundation Fairstart was founded in Denmark by expert child psychol-
Morten Jac started out as a teacher. He holds a degree in
ogist Niels Peter Rygaard, and communications special-
rhetoric and communication from Aarhus University. His
ist Morten Jac in 2012. Today, Fairstart is a state registered
areas of responsibility are organisation, communication,
foundation.
visual design, photography/video and overall project management.
Niels Peter Rygaard is a researcher and developer for special needs institutions, schools, foster families, social work-
We thank you for your interest.
ers and clinicians. On behalf of Fairstart Foundation, As a member of
the Danish Psychologist Associa-
tion, World Association of Infant Mental Health and the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders, he inspires debates and research on high risk children. Niels manages the international research in Fairstart and the programme development.
Niels Peter Rygaard Child psychologist CEO
Morten Jac Project manager CEO
www.fairstartfoundation.com If you are interested in receiving more information about Fairstart’s implementation, training programmes, research, certified instructor education, packages deals and results from various partnerships, please contact us. Telephone: +45 40 45 01 02 Email: info@fairstartfoundation.com Address: Fairstart Foundation, Frederiks AllÊ 112B, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark