SIMBA FAMILY CARE
• Throughout 2020, we launched diverse campaigns to increase awareness on this subject. We reached over 900,000 people
The Netherlands
through, for example, an article in NRC,
DURATION: 2018 – 2022 TOTAL BUDGET: €2,365,000 – spent in 2020 €402,782
social media posts, an interview with Kim Lian van der Meij in 100% NL magazine and an item on RTL Koffietijd with managing director Arian Buurman.
Impact Project description
• With five family homes a partnership was
By providing families with intensive support
SOS Children’s Villages offers Simba Family
launched and two partnerships with two
over a long period of time, and by advocating
Care, whereby siblings are placed together in
other care providers were entered into. We
for the for the right of siblings to be taken into
a family house if problems temporarily make
actively seek connections with youth
care together in the case of an out-of-home
things difficult at home. We deploy a family
protection in the regions where we support
placement to be anchored in the Youth Act, the
families.
vicious circle of separation and abandonment is
counsellor who works intensively to strengthen the family, which increases the
• The Simba Family Care methodology was
broken and the foundations for a bright future
chance the children will return home. The
defined in 2020, which means it can now be
children receive the personal attention and
shared with other implementing organisa-
professional support they need.
tions. Meanwhile, the project has undergone
The pilot project was made possible thanks to
The families we focus on have to cope with a
an interim evaluation, its insights being
the contribution from the Dutch Postcode
diverse range of problems and find
actively shared and followed up with our
Lottery’s Extra Draw.
themselves in a negative spiral, which means
partners.
the situation at home is no longer a safe and
• Defence for Children lobbies with SOS
stimulating environment for the children. The
Children’s Villages/Simba Family Care to
family counsellor provides intense support to
legally anchor that sibings are taken into care
the children and parents, in which the family’s
together in the case of an out-of-home
social network (wider family, school, sports club, friends) are also involved.
are laid.
Real life as a family has started again
placement. • In September 2020, we published a report
Brenda van Alst, family counsellor
Care I provided your family with
on family reintegration. The moment
them a kiss, ending the day on a positive note.
This is the first time that SOS Children’s
on placing siblings together in the event of
at Simba Family Care, recounts a
support, with the aim of family
you had looked forward to for so
Villages The Netherlands is running an
an out-of-home placement. A motion
personal story, which she
reintegration.You always focused
long finally arrived before
in-country programme.
followed in the House of Representatives
addresses to the mother of a family
on that goal. “It is possible,
Christmas. You bought a cake, but
Real life as a family has started
(Tweede Kamer) on this subject, which was
she was counselling when the
Brenda”, you said. “We are good
didn’t go over the top, after all, home
again, with everything that goes
Target group
adopted on December 1st. According to the
children were living in a family
parents, but the addiction took
is home.
with it, even during the Covid-19
Children from families with serious concerns
submitters of the motion, separate care is
house, and when they returned
over.” I saw how hard you worked to
After the children had been back for
crisis, and home schooling. You told
and problems, who need to live temporarily in
contrary to the United Nations Convention
home. Brenda has provided
make sure you stayed clean.
a week, you told me what it was like
me that you can finally ‘join in the
a safe, family-based environment with their
on the Rights of the Child and the
follow-up care since the family was
to walk into the bedrooms and see
discussion and moan’, just like
siblings
European Convention on Human Rights.
reunited.
Empty beds
them sleeping in their beds again.
other parents. The twinkle in your
We got to know each other better. I
When you spoke those words, the
eyes revealed your happiness.
We advocate for the right to be taken into
Activities and results
care together to be enshrined in law. The
“It was almost a year ago when I met
told you about my boys, who are the
pain of all the previous months was
When we jointly looked back on the
The project is in the operational phase. The
House of Representatives supports this by
you for the first time; the mother of
same age as your children. You liked
unleashed. The shock you felt when
past year, you ask yourself how
asking the cabinet to prepare legislation.
two children who were not allowed
that; having a normal conversation
you opened the bedroom door; how
things would have turned out if our
to live with you and your husband.
between two mothers. As a family
empty the rooms were, the realisa-
paths hadn’t crossed. You said:
main results in 2020: • We started counselling four families. The
• The study relating to the House of
children of one of the families have now
Representatives motion (2019) – how to
You had been trying for a while to
you took all the help and advice you
tion that your children were really
“Perhaps our children would not
returned home, and these parents and
better safeguard the fundamental principle
get things back on track so the
were offered, which meant that in
gone. Now that they are back home,
have come home.”
children are receiving follow-up care from
of ‘collective placement’, was launched at
children could return home. As a
the end everyone (including the
before you go to bed you walk past
In the silence that followed we both
our family counsellor.
the end of 2020.
family counsellor with Simba Family
children’s judge) positively decided
their beds, stroke their hair and give
felt grateful our paths had crossed.
26 | SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES ANNUAL REPORT 2020
